Soul Magic
by Bellatrix.Giggles
Summary: Focuses on an inquisitive Harry as he discovers that Magic is real and learns about his family. Harry will have to adjust to his new life quite quickly as he discovers that Voldemort is not really gone and that there may have been a prophecy. I will try and keep the essence of the characters while mixing canon/non-canon events and there will be war and character death. SLASH H/C
1. Where It All Began

**Hello! This is my first fanfic. I just wanted to provide a brief overview so you know what you are getting yourself into:**

**Pairings: **Harry/Cedric

**Warnings: **language, character death, violence, adult content, and brief nudity

**Summary: **This will start from the beginning of the series and cover all 7 years and possibly more. I intend to spend a great deal of time exploring the concept of Soul Magic (Unbreakable Vow, Fidelius Charm, Horcruxes, etc). The first 10 or so chapters will be a little heavy with the action to get things started, as they are necessary for the direction I want to take this. I don't want to simply retell everything that happened from the books because JK did that first (she did everything first) and I would like to do something different. Harry and Cedric will be getting together at some point down the road and if you don't like that then don't read. My Harry will be a little more studious and somewhat advanced for his age. My entire premise for this story is what if Harry had asked certain questions or people behaved slightly differently (namely The Dursleys didn't outright abuse him).

**Author's note: **I hope you enjoy this but understand if you don't. Feel free to point out errors or inconsistencies because I may have missed something important. Feedback is always appreciated and I take the good with the bad and just ask that it is constructive so I can do something about it. I am writing this because I love fanfiction and Harry Potter and have read so many amazing stories that I kind of felt guilty for not contributing anything. I started this as my New Year's Resolution to myself to just try it out and see where it goes. Plus, I just had this thought and everything took off from there. I have every intention of finishing this and I thank you in advance for your time with reading and reviewing this.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing in the way of Harry Potter! JK is amazing for giving us this gift and I can't thank her enough. She gave us characters that we all have something in common with.

**Soul Magic: Prologue**

It was a quiet Halloween in Godric's Hollow. The autumn air was crisp and crackling fires were burning away in some of the homes, keeping their occupants cozy and warm. Godric's Hollow was a small and mostly magical village made up of the same families who had lived there for generations. It was the perfect place to raise a young witch or wizard.

James and Lily Potter had just sat down to eat a simple meal, enjoying the antics of their child, Harry Potter, who had more spaghetti on his face than in his mouth.

Suddenly, a magical pulse rippled through the air and provided their only warning that the wards had fallen. That could only mean one thing: Pettigrew had betrayed them and he was coming for Harry.

They had always known that they couldn't hide forever with the prophecy saying what it did – it wouldn't be right, even to keep him safe, for Harry to live his entire life in isolation. They had just hoped they would have had more time to prepare, to live. But that was not to be.

Lily and James shared a last, brief look into each other's eyes. Years of love and trust between them had brought them to this moment and they didn't need to speak to tell the other how they felt. They both knew that this was the end and that this was their goodbye, but not for Harry. They had a plan.

"Go, Lils. I'll give you as much time as I can," James said, as he stood resolute between his family and the door.

"Give him hell, James."

Lily immediately turned and began chanting softly under her breath as she ran up the stairs with Harry under her arm. She would need as much time as James could give her for this to work.

James immediately started casting charms and curses on the stairs, setting as many traps and delays as possible. He turned to face the intruder that had just blasted their door across the room.

James took a deep breath and faced the man who had come for their death. He had never been more focused in his entire life. James knew he would die tonight, but that didn't matter. He had something more important to fight for than himself: the longer he delayed the Dark Lord – the greater the chance that Harry would live.

A fierce duel erupted as James was transfiguring furniture into lions and smaller objects into spears for Voldemort to deal with. His mind didn't register half of the spells that erupted from his wand as he defended himself from Voldemort's volley. Sweat was pouring out of him as he cast every spell he could think of to prolong this battle.

Eventually, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named cast a curse that James couldn't dodge or block and he was thrown backwards into the wall with such force that his neck snapped upon impact. The last thoughts that had flickered through his mind were of Lily and Harry and hoping that he didn't fail them.

Lily had just finished splitting her soul when Voldemort sauntered into Harry's room, his eyes shinning with unholy glee. He quickly cast a disarming charm and her wand flew out of reach. But she didn't need it anymore, and she moved to seal the protection she had just given her son.

"Not my Harry, take me, take me instead" she repeated several times with her hands held in front of her in a defensive manner that would complete the ritual. She felt when the protection took hold. It was ancient Magic, Soul Magic, and would shield Harry from the evil man in front of her.

The gift that she had just given her son worked very much like a horcux, except it was the complete opposite. Instead of using murder and hate to split her soul, she had used love and her desire to be a sacrifice. Lily had given up a part of herself to save her son and it had drained her of her Magic. The safeguard that Lily had placed in Harry would only be activated if she willingly sacrificed herself in this moment. If Voldemort killed her now, the part of her soul that now resided in Harry would protect him from her killer. Her soul would be sacrificed so that Harry's could live and it would take the Dark Lord's in retribution. When she died, Voldemort would not be able to touch Harry. Her son would live.

And she could only smile when the green curse shot from his wand and she knew no more.

**Let me know what you think!**


	2. You're A Wizard, Harry

**Author's Note: **Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated: good and bad. I spend my time writing scientific manuscripts, which are very dry, and I wanted to try my hand at something markedly different.

**Standard disclaimer about not owning Harry Potter and JK is so nice to let us play with her creation.**

Harry woke with a start. Sweat was pooled on his forehead and he had to bite down on his tongue to keep from yelling out; it would be no use to wake Uncle Vernon at this hour. He had learned not to call out from this dream and wake the Dursleys, to act as if he didn't live there - to not be a burden to his relatives that had begrudgingly taken him in after his parents' death. His eyes were wide and his pupils were constricted even in the faint moonlight that cast unknown shadows past the foot of his bed. It was as if the scene he had just witnessed had been real: that a man holding an ornate stick had sent a green and sickly light his way after demanding a pleading woman with flowing red hair to step aside.

"Not my Harry," she had begged over and over again with her arms held out in front of her, beseeching this man to take her instead.

Harry could still feel that horrible anticipation he had felt from the dark chuckle of this man as he sat upright in his bed thinking about what had befallen her seconds after as a green light was cast from the man's wooden stick. She had fallen to the floor and had not gotten up. It had caused him grief each and every time and he knew that it would always cause his heart to ache. He had been having this dream for as long as he could remember. And it always ended with the man's crimson eyes moving from the woman on the floor to centering on him before he was bathed in that green light too. In some ways, it was his first memory, and he felt like he could never forget it even when he was awake because of the scar on his forehead. The scar that always seemed to ache after this particular dream and that he could never quite cover with his hair because that was something different altogether. His hair could not and would not be tamed.

Harry threw off the light bed covers, it being July after all, and went to the bathroom to wash his face and calm down. He glanced in the mirror and stared at the faint scar that somewhat reminded him of a lightning bolt. It was indistinct and hardly anyone noticed it, but it always drew his attention. He could never forget what it represented.

He quietly walked back to his room and sat at the foot of his bed to stare out the window, and he drew his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. It would be a while before he could face sleep again. He started to think back over his young life, which was both a blessing and a curse because he had a remarkable memory and few things were ever truly forgotten.

His first memories of The Dursleys were more feeling-based than anything else. He had always felt like a burden to them, forced into their house and disrupting their attempt at having perfect lives. He had never _really_ gotten along with them and over time they had developed a live and let be approach. As long as he didn't become bothersome, they left him to his own devices. His uncle was the one who seemed to mind his presence the most, but tolerated him because of Petunia's insistence. They never treated him badly, however. They were just indifferent to his presence. Where they showered love and praise unto his cousin, Dudley, they treated him as a business arrangement; the niceties were observed, but rarely anything of substance was added.

Occasionally, Aunt Petunia would give him a bit of spending money or a birthday present. Harry noticed that whenever she had these bursts of kindness her eyes seemed to be full of remorse. As if she was trying to say that she was sorry for something, but that apology never came. The best he could figure was that she cared somewhat for him because they were family but resented his presence for some unknown reason. Perhaps something had happened between her and his mother and it was never resolved? He could never really come up with a better explanation than that and he hesitated to ask.

They had told him about his parents death when he was quite young and had subsequently been given the few pictures that his aunt had of them. He had since gotten over the initial shock of recognition that his mother was the woman from his dreams, and Harry had almost given up trying to reconcile what that meant. It was a ridiculous thought that it could have actually happened, and Harry became convinced that his overactive imagination from reading so much had caused his subconscious to put his feelings of losing out on knowing his parents into dream form. Maybe it was his brain's way of coming to terms with being an orphan? He really had no idea.

Over the years, Harry had become quite introverted. While he quietly excelled in the classroom, he never really offered answers, and when called upon, refrained from drawing unwanted attention by not answering the question to his full capabilities. He became indifferent to human interaction and preferred to spend his time absorbing as much information as he could from the world around him. Books, magazines, the occasional TV documentary, and random newspaper clippings had all offered Harry an escape; he got lost in learning and imagined himself to be anywhere but where he currently was. He liked to think about what he would do when he was older and free to be alone.

He supposed that he would go through school and on to university and end up with a doctorate of some sort, most likely in the sciences. It was a path that would give him the means to provide for himself and, at the same time, sate his curiosity with all there was to know in the world. It was possible he would even discover something!

Little did Harry know that at that exact moment a pen had become active hundreds of miles away that would change everything.

The next few days continued on as they always did. He would help prepare the meals and do whatever chore his aunt wanted. It usually involved tending to the yard, which Harry enjoyed very much. When he was finished, he was free to spend time at the library.

His birthday arrived with little fanfare; a birthday card with some loose change was slipped under his door in the early hours of the morning. A card to appease the guilt his aunt had for never fully loving him because of some reason he felt he would never know.

The Dursleys had gone into London to get Dudley supplies for the coming school year, as he would be going to a private school and needed to get his uniform fitted. Harry had readied his breakfast and was just sitting down to eat when his attention was diverted to the window over the sink. An owl was poking on the glass with a letter in tow. He thought it was utterly absurd and had a gaped expression on his face to prove it. The bird's continued poking was enough to rouse him from his stupor and he moved to open the window because he couldn't think of anything else to do. The owl flew over the table and dropped the letter next to his plate of food before exiting with a hoot and settling on a branch outside. Harry turned around slowly and hesitantly approached the letter that was lying face up, calling to him:

_Mr. Harry James Potter_

_The Smallest Bedroom_

_4 Privet Drive_

_Little Whinging,_

_Surrey_

In a daze, he took the letter and opened it and began to read:

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…_

"Bloody hell," he exclaimed to no one in particular. Magic, he thought to himself, was not real. Magic couldn't exist; it flew in the face of everything he knew about the world, of everything he saw. And yet, a small nagging thought in the back of his mind started to become louder and more pronounced….

This would certainly explain some of the odder things that had happened to him over the years. For a moment, he allowed himself to indulge in thinking 'what if Magic was real' before automatically dismissing it.

He thought back to specific events that he recalled were unusual or that he had never been able to fully explain. How a book that was just out of his reach seemingly inched closer to his outstretched hand that he had passed off as hitting the bookshelf in such a way as to make the book fall - similar to a bag of crisps that would get stuck in a vending machine and needed just a little nudge. How sometimes he could look at a person and just _know_ if they were telling him the truth, but he also reasoned he could just be astutely reading their body language and mannerisms. How one time when he was little he thought he had had a conversation with a snake in the backyard - but, really, that couldn't have happened… that was just illogical, a definite result of an overactive imagination.

But… and that was the question: What if Magic was real?

His attention returned to finishing the letter, which had included supplies for the upcoming year: a cauldron, some spell books, a wand - A WAND! His eyes widened and immediately thought about a certain 'wooden stick' that a dark and cruel man had held that emitted a sickly green light, very much the opposite of his vibrant emerald eyes. His breath started to pick up and his heart began to race.

"No," he whispered to himself. "It's not possible, that was just a dream, that man wasn't a wizard, my parents didn't die because of him… I couldn't be magical. This is not real. This is not happening."

He wasn't even thinking about the implications of whether his aunt knew this, because he couldn't worry about _everything_ right now. He didn't want his brain to short-circuit with _everything_ that was going on and thinking about how The Dursleys fit into all of this was sure to send him over the proverbial edge.

His mind drifted back to the letter and how he could send a reply before hearing another hoot and turned towards the owl.

"You have got to be kidding me," he spoke aloud, commenting on the apparent suggestion to a question he didn't even speak.

"Well, I can perform a test," he reasoned after several moments.

"If I write back and request an in-person meeting with this deputy headmistress _and_ the owl takes the letter _and_ someone is able to demonstrate magic _then and only then_ will I take all of this seriously."

He thought it was quite reasonable for the situation he had somehow managed to find himself in so early in the morning. He retrieved a sheet of paper and a pen and wrote out a quick response that would start his experiment.

_Dear Deputy Headmistress,_

_Please forgive my hesitancy but I find all of this to be quite out of the ordinary. I have never heard of Magic being real or myself being a wizard. Would it be possible to arrange for a meeting in-person to discuss this further? I am afraid that I would need some proof that this wasn't an elaborate hoax that used a well-trained owl. I would prefer this to be a private meeting and not in the presence of my guardians, The Dursleys, and I am open to suggestions that would fit both of our schedules._

_Sincerely and respectfully,_

_Harry James Potter_

He folded the letter and paused. How was he supposed to address a letter that an owl was supposed to carry? For that matter, how would he attach the letter and how would the owl carry it? He went over to the window and held his letter at his side. He decided to perform his first test. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes while he considered just how crazy he felt about speaking to an owl as if it would understand him.

"I need this letter delivered to The Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…. Please?" He asked holding the letter aloft.

Harry was then left with a dumb-founded look on his face as the owl gave a hoot and flew into the room again. Somehow, his letter just _attached_ itself to the owl's leg before it exited the kitchen with a swooshing sound and disappeared from view.

He returned to his breakfast but all he could do was push his food from one side of the plate to the other while snorting in disbelief from time to time. Not an hour later, the doorbell rang. Harry dropped his fork and a feeling of dread instantly settled itself in the pit of his stomach. This couldn't be because of his letter; it was just too soon to get a response. And a response meant that this could all be real, and that terrified him.

He approached the front door with the complete opposite of alacrity and opened the door to reveal a woman wearing what looked to be a cloak who had the most severe bun he had ever seen, not a strand was out of place. She looked to be an older woman with stern features and a thin mouth. Her overall disposition did its best to portray neutrality, but it was her eyes that gave her away. He would swear he could detect a sense of anticipation and longing in them, with a touch of … pride? But that didn't make any sense. It wasn't like he knew her.

"Mr. Potter," she began as the silence was interrupted, "My name is Professor McGonagall and I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I received your reply and came at once to answer your questions. May I come in?" She asked in a voice that was firm but with a hint of familiarity.

"Of course, P-professor, though I must admit I am a little confused about this whole thing." Harry showed her into the living room where he sat on the couch as she took to the armchair that Vernon usually parked himself in. She removed her cloak to reveal a dark, almost black, green robe. Wasn't she hot wearing all of that? It didn't matter, he had other things he needed to focus on.

"Magic," he began, "it just can't be real; it's not possible."

At this, the professor simply removed a wooden stick from her sleeve and, instantly Harry was on his feet and fear began to show on his face, his thoughts on how another wooden stick had caused him so much grief. McGonagall noticed this at once and hesitated with her intended demonstration of transfiguring the coffee table into a Labrador Retriever.

"Harry," she said slowly and the use of his first name was enough to direct his attention to her immediately softening features. "What's wrong? I was taking out this _wand_ to provide a demonstration of magic and you look as if I am about to cause you pain…" she trailed off not knowing what else to say.

"P-p-professor, I am afraid that _is_ my reaction to seeing your wooden-stick - no, wand," he paused uncertain as to how to begin explaining why it made him so afraid. He had a sickening feeling that he was about to get information that his dream may not have been a dream after all.

"It's just, for as long as I can remember, I have had this dream that a woman with red hair - who I have since come to know as my mother from pictures my aunt gave me, was pleading with this man who wore a cloak similar to yours…"

Harry instantly picked up on the shock that crossed her face, shock that meant he had hit a nerve and that his dream was becoming more and more real with every passing second.

"He had a _wand_ much like yours, though it was a different color and shape, and he made this green light come from it. This green light hit my mom and made her fall to the ground. He then turned to me and sent the same sickly glow my way, and this is where I always wake up. That wasn't a dream Professor, was it?"

His eyes had been pleading with her to deny it and to come up with some other explanation.

The tears were now evident in her eyes and Harry placed his hands on his stomach as a cold sweat broke out on his face. She had not denied his statement. He had always had to tell himself that the dream was because of the books he had read, but now, this feeling was indescribable. He did not like it.

"Harry…." she started before she needed to pause to get her emotions under control. She moved over to the couch and looked at his face and focused on his eyes that were broadcasting his coming to terms with having witnessed his mother's death, her murder. Her murderer.

"I can't believe that you remember that night. I admit I don't know what to say, I was good friends with your parents, and they were some of the best students I had ever taught. I was even there at your birth."

Tears were now freely falling from her eyes as she went to touch Harry on the shoulder as he stared forward in complete shock. His life had been turned upside down and his mind was reeling, focusing on nothing and everything at the same time.

She continued, "I will do my best to answer any questions you have." She didn't know what to do or say and just rubbed small circles into Harry's back. She couldn't get over the fact that Harry remembered the night that Voldemort killed his parents - that he had remembered the night that made him the boy-who-lived. She had come here to prove that Magic was real, but she never would have though that _this_ was the proof that she would give; confirming that he had witnessed that unspeakable horror was something that she couldn't wrap her mind around.

They continued sitting there for some time before Harry had come out of his daze and had asked to hear everything.

She told him the story about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (whom he had flat-out refused to call by that silly moniker) and the growing war and his parent's involvement in something called the Order of The Phoenix. He felt some small measure of relief at knowing the name of his parents' killer. She mentioned how he was quite well-known as the boy-who-lived for defeating Voldemort, which caused him a small measure of dread. He didn't like the idea of being famous for something he didn't remember, or for something that cost him his family.

She talked about Hogwarts and the classes he would take in the castle. She briefly mentioned how there were four houses but didn't get into any of the politics of it. She noted that Harry was trying his best at putting aside the thoughts of his parents and focusing on this new world that was becoming more and more real to him; this world that he would soon join. He would ask a question here or there for clarification but mostly just absorbed everything that she had said.

She had asked about living with The Dursleys and if there had been any problems.

"No, there are not really _any_ problems. They leave me alone and I leave them alone. I may not get bathed with love but I don't get abused either. I prefer it, actually, to be alone to think and read. It is soothing sometimes to not have to deal with anyone's expectations."

Expectations it seemed he would have to deal with now as the boy-who-lived.

She was worried that he was turning away from human interaction and had decided that she would watch over him and be there for him. Harry brought out her protective side.

She talked about Diagon Alley and how he would get his supplies and offered to go with him next weekend. It was the least she could do after everything. Besides, she genuinely wanted to know that he was Ok. She told him about Gringotts and that was where his parents had left him money and family heirlooms.

That had gotten his attention and his demeanor that had been slowly returning from shock, changed instantly to one longing to get in touch with where he came from.

"Thank you, Professor. I would be grateful if you accompanied me."

"It would be my sincere pleasure, Harry," she had replied with a warmth that was unknown to many.

"What about your family here," she wondered. "Your aunt knows about all of this because of Lily - do you wonder why she never told you?" She had hoped that she was reading some of the signs correctly and this was what was bothering the young man next to her.

"I have begun to realize that she had to have known and, if anything, it helps me to understand why she acts the way she acts around me. It's as if she feels guilty about something and struggles with how to treat me. Sometimes, she gives me presents here and there and other times she pretends that I don't exist. Is it possible that she was perhaps jealous of my mother for being a witch? For that matter, how was my mother a witch and Petunia wasn't?"

Minerva certainly was impressed with his line of reasoning and curiosity about wizarding inheritance.

"From what I have heard about from your mother, Petunia may have resented Lily because she went away to Hogwarts and started living this life that she couldn't properly describe to her sister. They did begin to grow apart soon after Lily started school."

"I see," Harry replied accepting his previous conclusions. And he did see. People were complicated and their actions were caused by many things that sometimes never made sense. Everyone would do things they couldn't properly explain.

"To answer your question why Lily was a witch and Petunia wasn't, however, I'm afraid I can't really answer that. We don't know how someone becomes magical. She was called a muggle-born witch. Muggles are what we call non-magical folk. You are called a half-blood because your father was a pure-blood wizard, having two magical people as parents who both then had two magical parents as well. There are some people in our world who do put a lot of stock in ancestry and the pureness of blood and look down on those who are not pure-blooded witches and wizards. It was one of the reasons that led to the war, actually, and something your parents and I fought vehemently against. But, I'm afraid that story will have to wait for later. It is getting late and I have other visits I need to make today. Other individuals - " she was careful not to use the word 'children' because Harry seemed so mature for his years, " - have to be told about Magic existing as well."

"I do want to make sure you are Ok, though. I hate leaving you alone after all of this," she sighed.

"Honestly, Professor, I think I will be fine. I think a part of me always knew something didn't add up. I'm sure there is more, but I'm grateful to know what I have learned – even if it is hard. She must have really loved me."

"They _both_ really loved you, Harry, there was never any doubt about that. You meant everything to them." She wanted to emphasize this point. He deserved to know.

"Thank you for everything, Professor. I have a lot to think about and don't think I could honestly process anything else at this moment."

He followed with a genuine smile and his green eyes shown with a sincere sense of thankfulness. He told her not to worry about leaving him and that he looked forward to next weekend. He was soon swept up in a rare hug from the Transfiguration Professor.

By the time she left, it was mid-afternoon and The Dursleys would be arriving shortly. They had agreed to meet next Saturday in the park down the street to get his school supplies.

He didn't even have it in him to be surprised as she turned and disappeared on the spot. He would certainly have enough to think about in the next week and headed upstairs just as the door opened and The Dursleys returned. He thought a lot about everything that night, but managed to fall into a peaceful sleep – he was too spent to dream.

**Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!**


	3. Gringotts

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, I tried to imagine what I would have done in James and Lily's shoes while still being somewhat canon. I also tried to think what I would have done in Harry's position. Let me know what you think!

Posted: 2/20/15

**Standard disclaimer about not owning anything!**

The next week went by faster than Harry had expected it to. He had thought a lot about what he had just learned but, and though some of the revelations were shocking, he found himself more at peace. It helped that he was also sleeping much better and hadn't had the nightmare again.

The knowledge that his dream had been real was difficult, but he was grateful that he knew. At least he didn't have to wonder about that night or the other strange occurrences in his life being real anymore. An unknown weight had been lifted from him and even though his heart now knew this horrible truth, his whole being felt lighter. Harry couldn't deny the truth of something and, to him, it made facing the world easier. He liked knowing what was out there and what he was up against.

So his parents had been murdered and for some unknown reason he survived. The only thing that mattered to him was that Voldemort was gone and his parents… his parents had died trying to protect him. That kind of sacrifice was palpable and had left a mark on him, one Harry would always treasure – because he had been so loved.

The rest of the week was business as usual in The Dursley household. Though he was mildly surprised that he was able to be normal around Petunia given that she had left out _a few_ important details he thought he _should_ have known. He supposed that her treatment of him was at least consistent; perhaps the resentment she had had for her sister was now guilt considering what had happened and she just didn't know how to act.

People were complicated like that. How do you apologize for something that you just want to put as far from your mind as possible?

He was more worried about how he was going to broach the subject that he would be leaving to attend Hogwarts in less than a month. Knowing what he knew about how Magic had changed her relationship with her sister, he wondered how it would change their relationship. Though, it would be hard to classify their live-and-let-be policy as a relationship. He decided that he would deal with it after going and getting his school supplies.

Speaking of school supplies and his upcoming shopping trip, he wondered whether it would be prudent to come up with a list of questions to ask McGonagall. After the shock of last week's life-changing understandings wore off, he realized that he had mostly just listened to her and had not really participated in their discussion aside from the few questions he had asked that mostly were related to terms he didn't understand or couldn't comprehend. Like Quidditch or flying on a broom or going to a school to learn how to be a wizard. A wizard! That was getting a little easier to come to terms with. He could perform Magic, and all the odd occurrences that he had rationalized away in the past were now proof that he was magical.

Harry also wondered what the limits to Magic were, if it had any at all. He couldn't wait to start learning Magic, of course, but he was equally excited to learn about the laws of Magic. Surely, there had to be underlying rules to guide it; _everything_ has fundamental principles that says what is possible. Just because they haven't been discovered yet doesn't mean they aren't there. He couldn't wait to see what see just what they were or what Magic was fully capable of. But he was getting ahead of himself, he had to start at the beginning and learn the basics, and that meant starting with what he didn't know.

He went over to his small wooden desk that had been Dudley's before his cousin had demanded something better and bigger. For what though Harry wasn't sure – he didn't even know if Dudley could read. He sat in the well-worn chair and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and began to write down some of his thoughts that would serve as the foundation for his questions. The list of school supplies was laid out next to him to function both as a reference and as an inspiration for things he wanted clarified.

* _Pet to bring? Says owl, toad, or cat – nothing else? Snake? Would be nice to have something to speak with. Should confirm you can speak with a snake._

* _Is it normal to talk to snakes?_ _Can witches or wizards talk with other animals?_

_* Four houses at Hogwarts? How are we sorted into a house?_

_* Did my parents have any friends that are alive now? Any other children that I might have known while younger._

_* Who brought me here? How did Petunia react? Does Vernon know about Magic?_

_* Money? Gold? What is Gringot's (sp)? Vault?_

_* Dragon hide gloves? Dragons?!?_

_* Is it possible to bring a backup wand? Do they break? Can muggles use a wand?_

_* Broomsticks? We can fly! Do I have to be a second year to buy one?_

_* Pointed black hat, really? Do they help with Magic?_

* _Books? Can we bring more than what is on the list? Last name of author and subject they write about are similar, coincidence?_

_* Can Muggles see Magic? What makes us magical?_

_* Potions, is that like chemistry? Yay!_

_* How far behind will I be? Is there a difference between those raised in the magical world and those like me?_

_* Glasses, any way to magically fix eye site?_

_* 'Wizard' health - would that explain why I hardly get sick? What are the other differences between wizards and 'juggles'?_

* _Wizard suitcases - how will I carry all of these? Can we have things shipped to Hogwarts?_

He put down the pen and sat upright to stretch his neck while thinking if there was anything that he had forgotten or was still curious about. He knew it was impossible to think of everything, but he wanted to be somewhat prepared; however, he was thoroughly satisfied with what he had come up with and was looking forward to getting a few weeks to look over his books before the term started. He wanted to make up for lost time and vowed that he would truly apply himself in this endeavor. No more would he be worried about vastly outperforming his cousin or the other students because of how it could change his home life or how other kids would look at him. He wanted to see what he could really do when he put 100% into something. He wanted to honor his parent's sacrifice as best he could, and wanted them to be proud of him, wherever they were.

It was difficult getting to sleep the night before meeting the professor again, his mind was racing just thinking about the excitement tomorrow would bring. In just about every way he could think of he was starting a different life, and tomorrow was his initiation of sorts with the magical world. Understandably, his nerves were slightly on edge. 'But this was the sort of adventure that he had always wanted,' he kept telling himself. This would be something for him to bring him closer to his parents and do something that they had done. Hogwarts was where his parents had met and where they had studied and Harry looked at going there as if he was coming home, in a way.

Before, he had recognized that he was slightly turning away from human interaction in favor of the quiet solace that books provided. But now, now he felt something stirring in his heart, his very soul, which was slowly opening his eyes to other opportunities around him. It was oddly comforting being awakened to things outside of one's comfort zone. Just the thought that he was going to get to know more about his parents, where he came from, and a part of who he was, was starting to make him slightly giddy with excitement. He knew that genetics and inherited traits were important for lying a foundation for what one would be become, but he fervently believed that your surrounding environment and experiences and sheer will were also just as important, if not more so in some situations. He didn't really believe in the concept of fate because he reasoned that everyone had choices that they could and would make which would dictate their life and who they would become. You may get dealt a certain hand, but it was yours to do with it as you saw fit.

It was due to these and others thoughts swirling through his head that sleep eluded him until the early hours of the morning.

Upon waking on Saturday and heading down to the kitchen, he discovered that The Dursleys had once again gone into London to pickup Dudley's now-ready uniform. Apparently, last weekend had been the fitting and now all of his custom-made outfits were ready.

Their unexplained absence was certainly a boon, as it would make it easier for him to spend the day with McGonagall. However, they were used to him spending most of the day at the library - he just wondered how he would explain all of his purchases when he came home. Perhaps that would be his opening to telling them about Hogwarts. He could at least point out that he didn't need help with his school shopping or anything else, and would just need a ride to the train station on September 1st. That wouldn't be too much of a burden; it was very reasonable in fact.

He ate quickly and changed into some of the nicer clothes that he had - those reserved for special occasions where The Dursleys wanted to impress more than usual. First impressions were important, after all.

Professor McGonagall was already sitting on a bench when he arrived, that bun just as severe as ever - though her facial expression was remarkably warmer upon seeing him for the second time. Her eyes had hints of nervousness and worry, centered on how he was doing no doubt, but also of relief and anticipation.

"Good Morning, Harry. How is everything today?" She figured she would keep the conversation light, as she would have the entire day to gauge how he was handling everything.

"Hello, Professor. I am well. The past week went faster than I thought it would. I am very excited to get everything today - and I brought a list of questions," he said while taking said list of his pocket and showing her.

He paused for a second before adding, "How are you today? I can't thank you enough for joining me - I wouldn't even know where to start. How do the other muggle-borns do it? Does someone take them? Do you?" He was getting on a role and Minerva thought it best to calm his rapid-fire questioning as soon as possible.

"Easy Harry," she teased. "We have all day to get everything and answer your questions. Though, when we are outside of school, Minerva will do just fine."

She moved to stand in front of him. His green eyes were bright and shinning with anticipation for the day ahead.

"I am doing well though, I only go to Diagon Alley a few times a year. I do take the other muggle-borns, though not individually. Next weekend the majority of us will meet and go as a group. I will be meeting with their parents as well. It gives them some time to ask questions and feel more comfortable letting their children enter a world they didn't even know existed."

Harry nodded his head in agreement, " That makes sense." He paused to look around the park while thinking about they were going to get there.

"How are we getting to _Diagon_ Alley," he remarked while slowly emphasizing their destination to make sure that he was saying it correctly. "Are we going to disappear like you did yesterday? What is that called, by the way?"

Minerva looked at the expectant expression on his face.

"I had planned on us taking something called the Knight Bus - a magical bus for the stranded witch or wizard. It is signaled by waving your wand in the air."

Harry noticed that she had a contemplative look on her face, perhaps in part due to his partially dejected countenance at hearing about taking a bus. It wasn't ever day you got to just 'teleport'. No matter how magical a bus could be, it was still a bus.

McGonagall had quickly learned that there was no book to go by when dealing with the young Potter and decided to suggest something that was very out of character for her. Something that James would have appreciated.

"Harry, what I did last week by 'disappearing' was called apparating. It requires a license and will be taught in 6th year at Hogwarts. It takes a fair amount of concentration and most witches or wizards simply prefer using the floo - that is traveling through the fire place -"

Harry's eyes widened at that.

"- because sometimes a person could leave a leg or an arm behind-"

Now Harry's eyes were on the verge of bugging out of his head.

"-which is called splinching."

Minerva had noticed Harry's slightly amusing facial expressions showcasing the various stages of shock and alarm and countered, "There is no need to worry, Harry. We have a team of people at The Ministry of Magic, our government, whose sole purpose is to reverse splinching. And I will say it generally occurs when people have had a little too much fire whiskey - it is a very safe thing if you apply yourself, otherwise we wouldn't teach it."

Harry visibly calmed at that, "so you only apparate yourself I take it? It would have been cool to experience."

"No, you can apparate someone else with you. It is called side-along apparation… I don't normally do this, but I was going to suggest that we _could_ apparate there, if you wanted. It is a suggestion I think your father would find amusing."

Harry perked up instantly at that. He didn't think he could say no to something that a week ago he didn't think existed in this world. And the bit about his dad just sealed his fate. He wouldn't trust just anyone, but when he looked in her eyes, he just _knew_ that he could trust her. That she meant well and would help keep him safe.

"OK," he announced. "What do I have to do?"

McGonagall gave him an approving look. She was touched that he would trust her - not that he needed to worry as she was quite in control of her Magic. She supposed it was the James in him that was always up for an adventure, and she hoped he had that part of Lily in him that wouldn't make him reckless.

"All you have to do is hold onto my hand, though I warn you it will be a tad uncomfortable at first. Just remember to keep your feet steady. The 'landing' can be quite unexpected your first time."

Harry timidly held out his hand and grabbed hers. He was aware that he was taking a bit of a leap, but one he thought was well reasoned and appropriate. Here was someone that had known his parents and had given a fair bit of her time in making his transition to a new world easier, and he would honor that. Sometimes he figured the best approach was to jump right in and face something head on.

"Ready, Harry?" Minerva asked as she noticed Harry had finished readying himself; his stance suggesting that he was preparing for the unknown.

"Let's do this," Harry stated while taking a deep breath and hoping that he wasn't going to regret deciding to jump right in the deep end.

The park they had met in at the end of Privet Drive was empty this early in the morning and as Minerva turned holding Harry's hand, they apparated to Diagon Alley.

One minute, Harry had been standing in a familiar setting and the next thing he knew his very breath had been forced out of him and he didn't know which end was up and which was down. He felt like his body had been squeezed through a tube and as the breath returned to his lungs, his feet seemed to slam on the ground and it took every ounce of his willpower not to rely on McGonagall's hand to remain upright.

When he opened his eyes to take in his new surroundings, he was blown away by what he saw. There was a cobblestone street lined with the most unique and colorful shops he had ever seen. All of the structures were aged, but not in a bad way. There was an otherworldly charm to them. Little did he know that some of the buildings were actually held together by certain charms that had to be recast every now and again.

Speaking of the structures, he thought, 'here was proof that Magic had to have been real,' because he didn't understand how certain add-ons were supported. Most were crooked and he wondered whether there were wizarding engineers or if someone just needed to point their wand at something and command it to be sturdy.

That was the other thing he felt: Magic. There was this familiar warmth in the air that resonated with him. He felt it under his skin and it radiated all over his body in a faint hum. He could practically taste it on the air.

Minerva noticed that his gaze was trying to take in all of the sights and sounds and smiled to herself as she let him savor in this moment, thinking back to her first memory of this wondrous place. Finally, she led him towards a building made of white marble with columns that looked to be one strong gust of wind away from collapsing on itself. If the other shops looked like they had been around for a while, Gringotts looked positively ancient by comparison.

"This is Gringotts, Harry, and where you will get your money or gold to make all of your purchases not only today but in the future. Now, it is important to know that Gringotts is run by Goblins. It would be best not to act uncomfortable and be as direct as possible with them. They appreciate getting down to business and hold little stock in unnecessary conversation."

Harry had been preparing himself to be shocked today and did his best not to show it. If dragons existed, it wasn't a stretch to include goblins in that mix. Thinking about what he knew of banks in the muggle world, he was beginning to wonder just how he would be able to get money out, he didn't exactly have a debit card or anything.

"Professor, I mean, Minerva, how will I get my money or gold out? How will they know I have an account or I am who I say I am? I don't have any identification."

McGonagall had stopped being surprised by the very reasonable questions that Harry would ask.

"The Goblins will prick your finger and use a drop of blood to identify you. Blood can never be reproduced or faked because it has your magical signature laced within it. Your blood will show the Goblins the vaults that you can claim."

Harry found that reasonable, if not a bit antiquated, but the more he thought about it he realized it was a great security measure. Also, here was something Magic both could and couldn't do: your Magic could always identify you and could never be faked. He just hoped the prick didn't hurt too badly.

She quickly continued, "Just know that Gringotts is one of the only places where it is legal to use blood – a wizard or witches' blood is very special because of the power it holds – and it is something that shouldn't be taken lightly."

He reckoned he could see the reasoning behind it and filed this information away for later along with his earlier musings.

He did notice something interesting she had said, however. "Vaults - why would there be more than one?"

"Most people can only claim just one as there is only one that belongs to the family - but from what I knew about your father, Potters did things a little differently. Each child would have their own account supported from the main family vault and this would get them through school and help start a life."

That seemed to answer Harry's question and then some, and they finished their discussion just as they entered through the doors. Harry tried his best not to stare. He really did. But he couldn't help sneaking a few glances to the sides as they walked down the aisle.

Goblins: here was another species besides humans that were talking to one another. Talking! This was historic in his mind because here, right in front of him, was a race clearly just as intelligent as humans. What was their DNA like? How distantly related were they: more similar or less similar to humans than chimpanzees? Harry had become quite interested in Genetics since he had learned about it in school and couldn't help but think about the implications of another intelligent race and how they fit in within evolutionary theory. Was Magic a genetic trait?

Goblins were short - perhaps reaching about 1.3 - 1.5 meters in height would be considered tall. They had very pointy ears and very sharp teeth and their skin looked a bit leathery. Some even carried blades at their hips with a colorful array of jewels adorning their hilt.

In that moment he decided to never piss off a Goblin and to be as respectful as possible. He was sure those swords were sharp and had no wish to find himself at the wrong end of one.

They approached a teller and Minerva nudged him lightly on the shoulder and gave him an expectant look when the goblin called out, "Next."

"Good Morning, Sir -"

The goblin dropped his quill and his head snapped up to stare at the wizard, his black eyes trying to take in everything about the green-eyed anomaly that had just showed him more respect than he had ever received from a wizard before.

Harry noticed the reaction the goblin had and looked at Minerva who wore a slightly shocked, but not terribly so, expression and nodded at him to continue.

"- forgive me if I said something offensive, I am new to all of this and understand I have some vaults to claim and would like to do so, please."

By this point all of the other goblins in the room were staring at Harry with opened mouths. Minerva was just shaking her head with a small smirk. She had a feeling Harry was going to surprise many in their world and was kicking herself for not anticipating Harry would behave quite differently than most.

The goblin teller regained his composure but was considerably more approachable than before and picked up his quill and nodded at the boy.

"Of course, young wizard - I will have someone take you to a private room for your inheritance test which will allow you to access any and all vaults that you have a claim for. Is there anything else that you need?

Harry smiled back at the goblin and shook his head.

"Thank you very much, sir. I think that is everything," He looked up to Minerva who nodded. Harry figured he would ask her what he had done later.

"Have a good rest of the day," he added.

Another goblin appeared to the right of the teller and walked up to the pair. This goblin was shorter. He had brown wisps of hair on his head – 'perhaps he was younger,' Harry thought.

"Follow me, please," the goblin stated as he directed them quickly out of the busy chamber and into a narrow hallway just as ancient looking as everything else.

They were led into a very comfortable room with ornate oak chairs with gold detail. Gold seemed to be a recurring theme around this place. Everything Harry saw seemed to have a lining of gold around it or made of it entirely. He was fairly certain those doorknobs were 100% gold. He would be shocked if they weren't.

"My name is Sharptooth," The young goblin who had led them here spoke as he sat behind his desk. "I understand you want to claim some vaults with an inheritance test?"

Harry took his seat next to an already seated Minerva at the goblin's request.

"Yes, sir - I understand that I may have several vaults. My name is Harry Potter."

The Goblin's eyes bulged ever so slightly but otherwise he was in control of his features. Sharptooth was a relatively young goblin at 70 years and was counted as somewhat of a liberal among his clan. He didn't think all wizards were bad and this young boy only seemed to reinforce his belief. Little did he know just how interesting of a morning he was about to have.

"Of course, Mr. Potter. Give me a moment."

Sharptooth disappeared behind his mahogany desk and returned with a very old looking piece of paper that would have fit in some of the scrolls he had seen on a school trip. He imagined the Egyptians used to write on something very similar. It was called papyrus or something if his memory served him correctly. The goblin then placed a small dagger peppered with beautiful small, red stones - rubies or garnets perhaps - next to the ancient paper. Harry's eyes noticed just how sharp the point of the small blade was.

Harry suddenly thought a prick on his finger could mean something different in the magical world - it seemed a slightly excessive way to get a drop of blood. Wouldn't a little needle be more appropriate?

"Mr. Potter, if you will give me your right index finger, I will prick it and allow a drop of blood to fall on this parchment. The blade is tied to the inherent magic of this bank and our vaults. It will list any and all vaults that your blood can claim as belonging to you."

The goblin seemed to pick up on the boy's reluctance that showed in his eyes since the dagger had come out.

"Do not fear, young wizard - the dagger is charmed to heal the cut instantly and feels like a little prick."

Harry steeled himself and placed his arm on the table and held his hand with his palm facing upwards over the parchment.

He took a calming and relaxing breath before nodding, "I'm ready, Sharptooth."

The goblin was suddenly holding the dagger and moved very quickly to prick Harry's finger and a second later it was over. 'That wasn't so bad', Harry thought to himself.

He stared at the drop of blood glistening on the dagger's tip and watched it fall to the parchment, where it was instantly absorbed. A faint, golden glow illuminated all of their faces and they watched words appear in a very fine script that listed which vaults Harry could claim as well as some of their contents.

**_-HARRY JAMES POTTER_****_-_**

**_-HEIR – ANCIENT AND MOST NOBLE HOUSE OF POTTER-_**

_-POTTER FAMILY VAULT:-_

_-BOOKS-_

_-JEWELRY-_

_-PORTRAITS-_

_-HEIRLOOMS-_

_-WEAPONS-_

_-GOLD: -_

_-1,234,789 galleons-_

_-8,876,645, sickles-_

_-23,874,847 knuts-_

_-HJP TRUST VAULT-_

_-LETTERS X 3-_

_-ENCHANTED CLOAK-_

_-ENCHANTED PARCHMENT-_

_-GOLD: -_

_-55,000 galleons-_

**_-HEIR – ANCIENT AND MOST NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK-_**

_-BLACK FAMILY VAULT:-_

_-BOOKS-_

_-JEWELRY-_

_-PORTRAITS-_

_-HEIRLOOMS-_

_-WEAPONS-_

_-GOLD: -_

_-263,862 galleons-_

_-4,257,987 sickles-_

_-10,987,756 knuts-_

_-SIRIUS BLACK VAULT-_

_-GOLD: -_

_-59,246 galleons-_

_-894,985 sickles-_

_-4,569,231 knuts-_

Harry's eyes widened and McGonagall gave a small gasp. Harry turned to her and asked her what all of this meant.

"Minerva, what does Ancient and Most Noble mean? Who are The Blacks? What is a galleon, a sickle? Who is Sirius Black?" Harry felt overwhelmed in this moment. There was too much to process. And all of this was his? That was a lot of money.

Sharptooth decided to intervene because the woman looked very unsure of where to even begin and he expected it had something to do with the House of Black vaults, which the goblin found _very_ interesting. The goblin was dealing with a very wealthy wizard that represented two ancient accounts. Not to mention two inherited seats on the Wizengamot.

"Young wizard, if I may?" He started, pulling Harry's attention away from Minerva.

Harry nodded and Sharptooth continued.

"Ancient and Most Noble is a title for those whose families helped to found The Ministry of Magic, do you know about that?"

Harry nodded again. "I know of it, sir."

The goblin continued. "They hold seats on the legislative body - that are inherited like The House of Lords in the muggle world - that helps to shape policy and govern the lives of witches and wizards… And other magical 'creatures.'" he added rather disdainfully, but now was not the time to get into it.

Harry noticed the pained look on the goblin's face and had a sneaking suspicion that the concept of minorities and the oppression of others was something that was present in this world as well.

"When you come of age, you can take your place and vote for the Potter and Black seats."

The Goblin finished and paused briefly to take a breath and noticed that Minerva had calmed somewhat from her shock and decided it was best to leave the Black vaults for her to explain the importance of. He would merely explain how the inheritance had occurred, but nothing more. The parchment that had the blood deposited on it was linked to the banks ledger in front of him and had noted how certain transactions had come to pass.

"I will let Minerva explain The House of Black to you, but Sirius Black was your Godfather and listed you as his sole heir. Since he was the heir of The Black Family, it has now passed to you." Sharptooth was careful not to mention death or incarceration, and it was something that both Minerva and Harry picked up on.

He let that statement sink in before continuing. It seemed the boy hadn't known anything about Sirius and he felt Minerva had a bit of a lengthy and difficult discussion ahead of her.

"A galleon, on the other hand is part of our currency. Twenty-nine knuts are worth one sickle and seventeen sickles are worth a single galleon."

"And how much is a galleon worth, sir?" Harry would focus on the money because he sensed the presence of this House of Black business was something that had a difficult and painful explanation if he was reading Minerva's startled expression correctly.

"One Galleon is equivalent to 25 muggle pounds."

Harry's jaw dropped; that would make him a very wealthy person and he was beginning to feel as if it was one thing after another. While he was glad to know that he had his education paid for, it was a bit disconcerting to come to terms with being a millionaire, several times over and over, in fact. He didn't even know how one would spend all of that money – and there were still jewels in his vaults to consider.

He leaned forward to put his head facing down on his arms, which were folded on the desk and closed his eyes.

"Is it normal for people to have this much money," he intoned blandly, not able to put any emotion into his voice.

"No, Mr. Potter, it is not common. You are considered a very wealthy wizard. The Potters were known to make good investments and did not live lavishly. They believed in protecting their wealth for future generations. They did do things a little differently: all Potter children have 5,000 galleons deposited every year on their birth until the age of 17. After that, the deposits stop and they are expected to make the most of it. Only the ones that spent it unwisely would suffer and the family wealth would still be protected. The smarter Potters were able to re-invest and accrued their own wealth."

"Of course." As if that explained everything. And he still had no idea who this Sirius Black was and didn't really want to know how he had died or whatever wasn't being said, because otherwise he would have been sent to live with him. Wasn't that what godparents were for? To take care of the child if something happened to the parents? Were there others that could have taken care of him? He couldn't help but think, 'what happened to them?'

However, he did think it was a reasonable, if a bit excessive, approach for giving children that much money. Harry did concede that it would protect the family wealth while giving the child an incentive to make it on his or her own. It was up to the child to make the most of what they had - which he thought was a great policy.

"Harry, are you alright?" Minerva had suspected that the Potters were wealthy but never expected them to be _that_ wealthy. It wasn't on par with The Malfoy's alleged worth but it was close and definitively within the top echelon of British Magical Society. Besides, The Malfoy's couldn't compete with being an Ancient and Most Noble House; they had emigrated from France in the early 1800s.

She had been completely flabbergasted by this Black situation, and did not look forward to that discussion; She had hoped it could have been had when Harry was older. She took a few second to pinch the bridge of her nose to calm herself; it would do no good for her to loose control of her emotions. Harry needed someone to be there for him right now.

"It is just a lot to take in, I don't know how many more surprises I can deal with and I feel like whoever this Sirius Black is will push me over the edge, judging by the hesitancy you both seem to have with discussing it. I don't think I can deal with it right now anyway."

He took a moment to collect himself. "Can we deal with it later, perhaps?"

"Of course, Harry" She moved to rub small circles on his back as she addressed the goblin.

"Sharptooth, can we be shown to his trust vault to remove funds for his school supplies? Though before we go I feel I should ask an important question: who is responsible for managing his accounts?"

Harry lifted his head at that notion about managing his accounts. He didn't exactly feel up to this discussion but he was here and could hopefully get it taken care of today, if necessary. He didn't want to waste time with an unnecessary trip to come back to the bank.

"These accounts have been unmanaged for the last decade, as we didn't have any direction. I'm sorry to say that the account managers were reassigned. They have only been accruing the standard interest rate."

Harry had always managed his small allowance to buy him books and had even been saving some of his money from mowing the neighbors' lawns. He felt it prudent to continue his family's style of soundly handling money.

"Sharptooth," Harry spoke suddenly. "Is it possible for me to assign someone or is that the bank's prerogative? You have been very helpful so far and, though I have only met two goblins, I like you. Would it be possible for you to manage these accounts?"

The goblin was floored and Minerva was as well. This was an account that would be fought over to be able to keep the standard 10% from any and all net profits that investments returned. It could help make a goblin very rich. This young wizard was just one surprise after another and Sharptooth had never met a wizard he had liked so much - besides the fact that he was literally handing him a very nice promotion on a silver platter without even realizing it. In that moment, he wasn't even thinking about what this would mean for him within Gringotts. He was about to be an account manager for a very senior account for an Ancient and Most Noble House. No, two accounts! He made up his mind to support this young wizard in whatever way he could. Harry would wield sufficient political power someday and he would need guidance and support given his unique situation.

"I can, Mr. Potter. Shall I continue investments based on the account history?"

"Sure. How do I get bank statements? Can we make an appointment to discuss things once I have had a chance to come to terms with everything?

"Certainly, Mr. Potter - we can correspond via owls. Let me get a few things ready for you before you leave."

The goblin moved behind the desk again and returned with a bowl with the most unusual designs on the side. Whatever it was, Harry assumed it to be an ancient script and it was certainly coursing with Magic. That familiar feeling from before had returned and he noticed the slight shivers it had sent throughout him, and causing his arm hair to stand upright.

"This is a ritual bowl that the bank uses to generate vault keys to provide you access to your accounts. Since you are underage, you can only remove things from your trust account; however, when you reach the age of 14, because you are the heir to the Potter and Black accounts, you will be legally emancipated. Normally, this happens at 17 - but given your status as the last of your line - you will be become an adult in our world. At that time, you will have access to all of the vaults listed."

Harry processed this information and was slightly shocked. He would have to become educated in politics if he was expected to vote on issues so soon. It wouldn't hurt to get caught up with wizarding customs and traditions anyways, but now he had a reason.

"We will both prick our fingers and give a drop of blood. This will provide you with keys and link me to your accounts so that I may manage them for you. No one can access your accounts unless you perform this ritual with them."

Harry agreed and gave his finger once more and in no time at all two drops of their blood was added to the bowl. The runes, as the ancient script was called, around the rim began to glow in a mix of red and purple colors and the same colored light began to swirl within the bowl. It was quickly becoming more intense and soon the colors of light began to condense and take on a corporeal shape, and finally, a golden key was produced that floated briefly in the air before settling into the bottom of the bowl. The goblin reached for the key and put it onto a thin golden chain that could fit around his neck. He then handed it to Harry's outstretched hands and noted the reverence in which Harry accepted the key.

"Keep this with you, Harry, and it will give you and only you access to your account. The account has also recognized my blood and has given me access to manage your accounts. The ritual gives me access to only manage and invest, I could never remove something without your expressed and written permission. If you ever add another individual, two keys will be made – but we caution our members on giving someone that much control. Currently this key is set to your trust vault but we can change that to the others when the time comes. It will also allow you to draw funds from your account at various shops so you don't have to carry so much gold around. I will do everything to make your accounts prosper."

Harry placed the key around his neck and fingered it, thinking about how it linked him to his family. He would treasure the small gold key not because of the wealth it signified, but because it would remind him that this was real and would constantly remind him of his ancestry.

Sharptooth handed over some parchments, as her learned that was the name for paper in the wizarding world, which listed the terms of managing the account and how the goblin would be paid. Harry thought the commission was fair and accepted the small moneybag that Sharptooth handed him.

"This bag is charmed to hold more than it seems. We can take you down to your vault now and you can get a bit of gold and go on your way. Is there anything else I can help you with at this time?"

Harry took the bag and tied it around his waist.

"Thank you for everything, Sharptooth. I look forward to your owls and look forward to seeing you again."

He extended his hand out to the goblin upon standing. The goblin's eyes bulged from its sockets but the goblin slowly extended his own hand to shake Harry's.

Minerva wasn't surprised given everything she knew about the boy - he was always doing things differently and looked forward to seeing at how else he could rock the boat, so to speak. He was a breath of fresh air and his parents would be very proud.

"Likewise, Mr. Potter. I think this is the beginning of a fruitful relationship. Just know that you have my respect." The goblin was also looking forward to seeing what this young man would do in the future - it certainly wouldn't be boring.

They turned to exit through the oak door with gold trim and the goblin directed them down the hall to the carts that would take them down into the depths of the earth where the vaults were guarded and protected by more than just enchantments.

After a thrilling and nail-biting ride under the bowels of the bank, they arrived at a stone ledge that was illuminated by crackling torches. There were stalagmites and stalactites that outlined several alcoves that housed these ornate and ancient looking doors. Harry glanced at Minerva, and not for the first time wondered if her bun was held in place by something _a little_ stronger than hairspray considering there wasn't a strand out of place and the cart had been going exceedingly fast.

The goblin, Griphook, asked Harry to touch his key to the door and after some clicks and groans it opened to reveal a room similar in size to The Dursley's living room that was filled with mounds of these golden coins called galleons. He turned towards Minerva and asked how much he should take out.

"A few handfuls should suffice Harry for some spending money in the future. You can make most of your purchases today by providing your key in the store and money will be taken from your account. I'm to understand it is much like the muggle check system that your mother once described for me."

Harry pocketed about 100 galleons, thinking it a rather excessive yearly allowance, but he hardly thought he would put a dent in his trust vault, let alone the main Potter Vault.

He looked around the room and noticed a small black table that had what he guessed was the cloak on it, some parchment that looked like a very large brochure, and three letters placed on top of everything. With everything that had been going on, he had completely forgotten about the letters.

He cautiously approached the table with Minerva and read the top letter that wasn't sealed.

_ Our Dear Harry,_

_ We had hoped it would never come to this but your mother insisted on being prepared for everything. We hope that this isn't too much for you and whatever has happened know that we love you. We left letters for you that will explain everything or as much as we can think to write. We wish we could be there for you but want you to know that we have done everything we could think of to protect you and provide for you. You were and always will be the most important thing to us._

_ This cloak is a Potter Family Heirloom. It has been with us for hundreds and hundreds of years. It is an invisibility cloak and I used this to explore Hogwarts with my friends. Use it well! It has been charmed (your mother's specialty) to always return to this vault for you if you drop a bit of your blood on it - so don't worry about ever losing it! Keep it secret though; however, if Minerva is still around (I used to call her Minnie, a term which took her quite a while to come to terms with), she will most likely remember it – my friends and I did tend to get into some mischief at Hogwarts._

_ The parchment is something that my friends (Remus Lupin (moony), Sirius Black (padfoot), and Peter Pettigrew (wormtail)) and I (prongs) came up with at Hogwarts. We called it the Marauder's Map. We spent years exploring the castle trying to discover all of its secrets. If you hold your wand to it and speak, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," it will provide you with a map of Hogwarts – and secret passages - and the location of everyone within! It served us quite well! It is important to erase it when you are done or anyone could read it. Simply place your wand on it again and say, "Mischief Managed," and it will erase itself. Your mother seemed to think it was like an etch-a-sketch. Your mother was less approving of some of our pranks, but also charmed this to return to this vault with a drop of your blood if you ever loose it. I would also keep this secret, but I hope you continue our legacy, even if your mother is rolling her eyes at me. Hogwarts has many secrets and even we didn't discover everything. I hope you can find a home away from home there. Study hard._

_ We love you very much Pronglet!_

_James & Lily_

Harry couldn't help it; he started sobbing and was clutching this letter so tightly that it started to ball up. He had to really focus not to tear it and folded it in half and put it back on the table.

Minerva was quick to wrap her arms around him and knelt down so that he could rest his head on her shoulder as the sobs started wrecking his small frame. Just the thought of being so loved and having something that belonged to his parents was more than he had ever wanted or thought he would get. He would treasure these heirlooms forever and was relieved that his mother had made them so he never lost them; he would never have forgiven himself if he did.

After several moments where Minerva could only offer supportive care, his sobs lessened and he started sniffling in an attempt to steady himself once more.

Minerva would need a very strong drink after all of this and could only guess the contents of the letter and the significance it would have on the boy. Harry extracted himself from her embrace and though he had just been utterly gutted, his eyes had never seemed so alive and full of life. They were practically shinning.

"My parents wrote me a little note," he said quietly, "they also left letters and some heirlooms. I think I will save the letters for later, for when I am home." He was trying to breathe in deeply now and steady himself amid the sniffles.

"My dad used to call you Minnie?" He asked looking to break some of the tension and was interested in her reaction.

It was immediate and it was a snort. It helped her not to start crying as well thinking back to how those boys had caused her so much grief with their antics.

"Your father and his friends had some interesting adventures at Hogwarts and could have been described as troublemakers and could be quite cheeky. They did grow up, thankfully. I think it is in my best interest if I don't ask about the cloak or the parchment - something tells me I have seen them before and will see them again," she said knowingly.

"I just hope you use them for better purposes than your father and his friends did."

Harry chuckled softly and grabbed the cloak and the map and the letters and placed them lovingly into the small book bag that he had brought with him. He wiped his eyes and his nose on his sleeve and Minerva led him out of the vault. Griphook was waiting by the cart and soon they were ascending towards the surface. They had a lot of shopping to do, after all.

**Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!**


	4. Diagon Alley

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, I tried to think what I would have done in Harry's position. If I could speak with a snake, I would totally look into that! I would also have splurged a little considering what my interests are.

Let me know what you think. I love reviews, especially the ones that provide helpful critiques :)

Posted 2/20/15

**Standard disclaimer about not owning anything!**

They exited the bank and both needed to blink a few times as their eyes readjusted to being outside in natural light. It was a slightly disconcerting feeling that Harry was having now; he didn't think the same person that had walked into the bank was the same person that had walked out of it. How could he be the same though? A week ago, he was just Harry and now he was an heir to two Ancient and Noble Houses. Now he had a sense of history, some tangible connection to his family and his roots. Now he had things from his parents that he could take with him: heirlooms, words, and advice. He didn't care about the money, though he knew it would be important for the future. What mattered to him the most was the connection he had felt with them; he could literally feel their love and support being directed on him. That was something he never thought that he would ever be able to properly describe. And all of this was from a brief note that they had written; what would the letters bring?

He followed Minnie - he decided it suited her and for some strange reason she allowed it - and followed her down the marble steps of the bank. His golden key was safely tucked under his striped button up shirt, a style that didn't exactly blend in with the crowds milling about Diagon Alley. But he really wasn't that worried considering he was planning on getting a complete set of wizarding wear shortly.

"Minnie?" he said with a small upturn to his lips. He just liked this woman and didn't regret trusting her one bit. Also, saying that name made him feel closer to his dad.

If it had been anybody else, Minerva would have started yelling in a thick Scottish brogue reminding him or her to respect ones elders. But it was Harry and he was a Potter and she would always have a soft spot in her heart for James, and Harry was quickly making a similar impression. She didn't think she could deny him something that connected him to his parents; though she would have to set some ground rules.

"You know, that is only a name appropriate for outside of Hogwarts and should only be used privately. I wouldn't want others to think it was all right to call me that foolish name. Apparently, only Potters are allowed to call me that."

He didn't want to be too cheeky with a response and quickly agreed with a warm smile before taking on a more serious disposition.

"Thank you, for being with me in the bank and for the vault and everything. That was a lot of information to process and I'm glad I didn't have to work through it alone. I still have questions about the Blacks though, and about Sirius – the note mentioned he was a friend of my dads?"

Minerva tried her best to steel her facial expression from giving away to sadness. She didn't know how Harry would react to hearing about James and Sirius being friends and then the betrayal that had caused his parent's death - and then still being named the Black Heir! That alone would be a shock for anyone to hear, especially considering everything he had already dealt with in the last week. This was liable to just break him, but he had a right to know and she would rather him hear it from her than from somebody else. She was becoming quite protective of him and didn't want to see him suffer.

"Harry, that is a difficult story to tell and we should probably wait until we can sit down, perhaps over dinner tonight would be best as our lunch will most likely be very quick considering all of your supplies that we have to pick up yet."

She considered it for a moment and cast a quick tempus charm to see that it was just before noon. They would have plenty of time to get his necessary items for Hogwarts and then settle down for a proper dinner where this discussion could take place. She had nothing else scheduled for today, and had made Harry her first priority.

"We should probably get your trunk first, seeing as you could use it to store your other supplies and then perhaps we could get a quick bite to eat and then finish getting your things. Then of course we can sit down to a nice meal tonight because I reckon we will need it with all the shopping ahead of us. And we can talk about Sirius and The Blacks then and I will bring you home. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Sounds good to me," he agreed and he turned to follow her through the considerably larger crowd of people milling about than were present when they had arrived to Diagon Alley.

"So what kinds of trunks are there? How will a trunk fit all of my clothes and books and supplies? Can we ship things to Hogwarts?" He didn't see how a trunk could fit everything he was supposed to bring. Unless it was like the small moneybag he had received from Sharptooth that could hold more than it looked. He wondered what the limits to that particular piece of Magic were: could you expand something infinitely or was it constrained by an item's initial size?

"There are several different kinds of trunks. The basic ones have only one compartment and are twice as big on the inside – a rather nifty use of an expansion charm that is quite popular. Others have multiple compartments and even libraries or apartments."

"A Library!" Well, Harry knew which one he was getting as his eyes glazed over leaving behind a dreamy expression. Minerva seemed to as well.

"Those are expensive, Harry, and not a very standard trunk for school-age children. However, I feel like you will not settle for anything else and you would use it appropriately."

Harry could hardly contain himself as they walked into the shop and greeted the sales associate. He immediately started asking about the trunks that contained libraries.

"Easy now lad," the older gentleman responded.

"We have all sorts of trunks, though for Hogwarts students we usually sell these basic models over here." He moved to point in their general direction.

"Those trunks that you were enquiring about cost a lot of money."

Minerva decided to intervene at this moment to make the clerk aware that Harry could afford it and, more importantly, wouldn't leave the shop without one.

"Excuse me, sir," she added. "I can assure you that he possesses the funds for a trunk with a library and it may be easier, and will certainly be quicker, if you just showed him which models you carry."

Minerva was well known in the wizarding world and wasn't one to pull pranks, and if she said money was not an issue and he really wanted one, then the clerk would certainly look forward to the extra commission that one of the higher-priced trunks would net him.

"Alright, the most basic unit contains just a single compartment containing one library but if you are looking for something that will be suitable for Hogwarts, may I suggest one that has a closet for your clothes, as well as the standard chest for your school supplies? You wouldn't want your potion ingredients getting your clothes dirty, now would you?" He added.

If he was practically guaranteed a sale, he might as well make the most of it, though he wouldn't sell the kid something he _really didn't_ need. He proceeded to show the pair one such model that had three compartments and was controlled by using three crystals that were being used in place of a lock. If you pushed the first crystal and opened the trunk you would see the compartment that would contain his school supplies: his cauldron and telescope and perhaps a broom for when he was older.

The second crystal would access his closet. The trunk opened to reveal a staircase that went down into a medium-sized room. There was space to hang things as well as a wardrobe made of a rich, dark wood and a small sitting area that consisted of a brown chocolate lounge chair made of leather.

Finally, the last compartment accessed with the third crystal contained a library that could hold over 4,000 books. Harry was positively ecstatic when they went down and he knew he would be spending the majority of his remaining summer down here going through his course books. There was a light brown oak desk and another leather piece of furniture but this looked more like an oversized bed than it looked like a couch. The desk reminded him of the one in The Godfather, one of Petunia's guilty pleasures. There was no fireplace in the library but he was told there were enchanted windows on the sides that could show a variety of views from snowy mountains to a babbling brook in the forest. Harry liked this feature as it would somewhat take away from the fact of where he actually was. It was a rather cool bit of Magic, too.

"Is it possible to change any of the coloring or decor?" Harry asked.

"We can customize it for you here or you could do it yourself once you have learned the appropriate charms – the only thing you can't do is make any of the rooms bigger."

Harry thought it would give him a goal to works towards and so decided to buy it as is. One thousand galleons later and Harry was the proud owner of a trunk that included instructions on how he could set a password to ensure no one but him could open the trunk. He was also happily surprised to get instructions on how to protect himself when he was inside of the trunk, which he hadn't even thought of because he had been over excited about owning something so extraordinary.

The shopkeeper approached the trunk and took out his wand and motioned for Harry's attention.

"You can also shrink the trunk by tapping your wand on this corner, three times." And he proceeded to demonstrate.

The trunk shrunk into a briefcase that harry could carry around and since it came with a permanent feather-light charm, he could carry it around very easily. He also explained how three taps of his wand could unshrink the trunk.

They thanked the man and exited the store with a means to carry the rest of Harry's school supplies.

They stood outside the trunk shop for a minute as Minerva had a sudden thought about a quick change of plans, while Harry was fondling his trunk/briefcase. It was currently a dark forest green festooned with emerald-colored crystals near the lock and trimmed in silver that Harry liked very much. He had decided not to put his backpack with the cloak/map in it, as he didn't want to put all of his eggs in one basket, so to speak. His treasured possessions would be kept separate. He would have to research charms to make his trunk more secure to carry around and leave it in his room for the time being. He thought it would take him a while to figure out the charm his mother had used on his map and cloak if he wanted to reproduce it. If it was going to contain his library, he was going to do his best to keep it protected. He would have to start taking classes first, but he had a goal now. And having goals were the best way to gain knowledge: you had a problem and you just needed to find a solution.

It was enough to know that his map and cloak would always return to him via the bank. He had pricked himself in the vault and gave each a few drops of blood and had asked Minnie to heal him afterwards. The cloak and map had briefly glowed emerald green as they absorbed the blood. Seeing his mother's work come to fruition when the Magic had activated was very cool; he wished he could have known them.

Minerva's voice roused harry from his thoughts.

"Harry, I know I said we would eat now, but I'm wondering whether it would be a better idea to get your measurements taken for your clothes and then we can pick them up after we eat or later in the day once we've gotten everything else. We still have to get your books and other supplies and a wand."

They began walking in a direction that would lead to Madam Malkin's where Harry was quickly fitted for robes, cloaks, trousers, and shirts. He decided he would also have to make a trip to get new muggle clothing but would do that later. Harry had decided on clothes in a range of fabrics but centered on a silk/cotton hybrid that was very comfortable and adjusted to the season so they could be warn year round. He chose a mix of colors with brown or black fitted slacks that could grow with him - it was a very nifty charm that could accompany a few growth spurts. He was told it might last a year or two before he would have to replace them.

For the shirts, he chose dark green, navy blue, and black. His cloaks were either dark green with silver trim - which caused Minerva's right eye to slightly twitch at his apparent inclination towards Slytherin colors - or black that had a trim of gold filigree designs. He had never been one to desire luxurious things, but he decided that it was important to honor his family and look his best. However, he would make sure what he wore was comfortable and still made him feel like Harry, so he had turned down cloaks made from acromantula silk - it was a bit excessive for his tastes. He did select a few pairs of leather boots that he was told were dragon hide. It was a little splurge but he really liked them. The fit was exceptional and they would be sturdy enough to wear in any condition and were charmed to keep his feet cool in the summer and warm in the winter. At any rate, he thought he had made practical choices.

They arrived as a place called The Leaky Cauldron a little after one o'clock and ordered some sandwiches with crisps and Minerva ordered him his first butterbeer. It was slightly alcoholic but he was told that witches and wizards processed alcohol better than muggles. It ended up tasting more like a cream soda than anything, but made him feel warm all over and just a little sleepy.

"Have you given any thought to a pet, Harry? The most popular pets are a cat or an owl. Which would you prefer?" Minerva asked before she took a bite of her turkey club.

"Oh, I was thinking about getting an owl," Harry replied. "So that I can correspond with Gringotts and I saw something about owl-ordering in the trunk shop. Do other shops have that? It would be a lot easier to just order things that way."

Minerva nodded her head and she proceeded to take a nice refreshing gulp of gilly water.

"I was also thinking about a snake, since I can talk to them." Harry blurted out nonchalantly.

That simple statement almost caused her to spit her drink out. As it was, she had a hard time keeping the gilly water from going down the wrong way and started coughing.

Harry noticed her reaction and sighed. "I take it talking to snakes isn't that normal, is it?"

She took a minute to collect her thoughts as she was once again thinking if there was going to be a day, just one, where Harry didn't completely turn her world upside down.

"Well, Harry - I wouldn't say it is abnormal to talk to snakes," she said quietly after recovering from her coughing spasm. The change in volume was something that Harry picked up on.

She continued, "it is just that it is very rare. One who has the ability to talk to snakes is called a parselmouth and the language they speak with snakes is called parseltongue."

She saw that Harry was drawing in on himself after yet another thing that made him stand out and needed to add her two cents on the matter. "Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with the ability; it comes from Magic. Though, I would caution you to keep this information to yourself for the time being and only share it with those you trust to keep it a secret. Being a parselmouth is a trait that some people consider a sign of a dark wizard and you could be judged unfairly."

Harry hunched his shoulders and looked down at his hands that were in his lap, "I'm pretty sure I can talk to snakes. I had a conversation with one in the back yard once but I convinced myself it was a dream."

He turned his head to the side before looking at her, catching her eyes, " I don't want to be a dark wizard. I'm just … I'm just starting to feel like I'm not normal, even for a wizard."

He was beginning to lose his appetite. He was starting to feel like every time he thought he was getting a handle on this wizard thing, one simple statement would throw everything off again, he really didn't know how much more of this he could take. He had felt alone before, but now he was getting worried that it was going to be impossible to remain anything but alone. At least Minnie was here - giving him this information in private.

Minerva was starting to feel the same way. It was one surprise after the other with Harry and she needed to make sure she didn't lose him. This was Lily and James' son and she would be damned if she would do anything but be there for him.

"Harry, it doesn't make you dark," she said gently. He looked in her eyes and saw that she was speaking the truth and that she was worried about him and wanted to help.

"May I share a theory with you?"

She continued when she saw that he nodded his head while trying his best not to look too dejected.

"Some traits run in families, special gifts if you will. For instance, parseltongue, or being a metamorphmagus, witches or wizards that can change their appearance at will. These may get passed down in a family but it tends to show only in those individuals that have a very strong connection with their Magic - it comes easier to them. The abilities themselves are not bad or good, much like Magic - it is what you -"

And she reached across the table to point at his chest for emphasis.

"-do with it," she finished.

It was this act that caused Harry to finally settle down and he could feel the tension leaving his body. She was right, of course. It all came down to choice.

"Thanks Minnie," he stated appreciatively.

"I would still like a snake though, it would be nice to have something to talk to from time to time."

She had expected nothing less and nodded her head in an affirmative manner.

"I take it by your reaction that my dad wasn't a parselmouth?" He asked already expecting a negative answer.

She shook her head.

"Do you know anyone that speaks parseltongue?" He followed.

Well this was going to be a difficult question to answer, and here she thought that lunch was going to be simple with some light chatting. Perhaps she could soften the blow a little.

"Harry, it is important to emphasize again that it is the choices and the intent behind them that make something good or evil. Not the trait itself."

He had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew who it was. The man from his dream had been practically hissing.

"It was Voldemort, wasn't it?"

Minerva was slightly disconcerted at how observant he was and the ease in which he said the name that most grown adults couldn't. And he had more of a reason than most to be terrified by that name but didn't know it was taboo. She supposed that it could definitely be worse, just imagine if he had been abused and hadn't said anything to anyone. At least he was intelligent and didn't fear a name.

She nodded.

"I still want a snake though, and hey," he shrugged, "maybe I can change people's views on parselmouths. Show that it isn't evil," he concluded.

"I have no doubt, Harry." She smiled at him. He was taking this well, better than she would have thought. She wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth and complain.

They finished their lunch and Harry insisted that he pay in appreciation for all of her help, which she accepted on the condition that she would pay for dinner.

Their next stop was at the Magical Menagerie where all sorts of magical and normal animals were sold. He was excited at the prospect of getting one pet and, hopefully, another. If he really was a parselmouth, it would be exciting to talk with a snake – he wondered what types of conversations they would have. He would want to pick a nice one that didn't bite him, however.

Harry was instantly drawn to this white, snowy owl that was immediately to the right when they walk through the door. The sign indicated that it was a female owl and the price had kept being reduced. He thought that she was gorgeous with little black spots scattered throughout her feathers. It reminded him of chocolate chip ice cream.

"Hello pretty lady, you are the most beautiful owl I have ever seen." Harry made a move to hold out his hand.

"Easy lad," the attendant warned, noticing the subject of his fascination. "She is pretty fickle and doesn't appreciate many people. I can't in good conscience sell her to people without warning them. Lost a lot of money on her, she is supposed to be one of the more intelligent breeds - stuck up if you ask me."

The owl hooted at that, her light yellow eyes narrowing in annoyance. Harry took it to mean she was indignant at the comment and turned to look back at her eyes, seeing if he could get to _know_ her. The owl was doing the same thing with him.

"I bet you are very intelligent," he spoke softly. "I don't think you are stuck up, you just don't want to settle for just anyone."

She hooted again, but unlike before, this wasn't menacing; it sounded like 'correct.'

Harry decided to take a chance and stuck his finger next to her cage, remaining alert. She put her beak on his finger and lightly squeezed, and then hooted again.

"If you would like," he said towards the owl, "I could take you. I would need you from time to time to deliver a few letters but you could hunt as much as you like and remain outside or wherever you prefer. You would be well taken care of."

Harry took the hoot to mean, 'OK.' The shopkeeper was surprised, but thankful that he was finally getting ride of her.

10 galleons were handed over and he had also received a cage and some owl treats. Minerva thought the entire scene was touching, and suggested that Harry ask if she wanted to fly back to The Dursleys and Harry could stow her cage for her in his trunk. She explained how owls could find their destination and rarely got lost as they made their out of the store.

One hoot and a small nip of her beak against his cheek later and she took flight in a direction he hoped was towards The Dursleys, but would have to trust what he had just learned.

"Minnie, can we go back in and look at the snakes if they have them?" He wanted to see if there were any snakes available since he hadn't even explored the shop as he had gown straight to the snowy owl.

"Of course, just be _careful_" she spoke while looking around and then focusing on him and raising her eyebrow pointedly. There were only two more people in the store and she didn't want his ability to become known. He got her meaning and headed back in and went towards the reptile section, which was in the back of the store.

Again, he was immediately drawn to one tank in particular after a brief glance at what they had. It housed a dark gray snake with silver and blue highlights about a third of a meter in length with the girth of his thumb. The sign suggested male but had a question mark after it. Since the shopkeeper was in the front with another customer and Minerva was standing watch, he decided to chance a few words.

"_Hello… c-can you hear me_?" He spoke unsurely.

The snake raised its head and blinked a few times before staring at him intensely.

"_You are a speaker, youngling_?" It asked with a hint of surprise.

"_I guess_," Harry replied, "_I was pretty sure I was one as I had a conversation with the snake in our backyard but it had been when I was very young and I thought it was just a dream or an overactive imagination_."

"_It is an honor to speak with someone who knows the language. It is very rare to find one_. _Is there something I can help you with_?"

Minerva just heard hissing and she had closed her eyes and muttered 'oh Merlin' under her breath at the confirmation of his talent and moved to keep standing watch.

"_I had hoped to find a snake to bring home and talk to, perhaps even be a friend_," he answered honestly.

"_You weren't looking to bond and be my master_?" the snake asked in an exasperated fashion.

"_Bond? Master_?" Harry supplied. "_I don't know what that means. I wanted a companion to bring with me to Hogwarts, which is a school of Magic, which I will be attending in September. I just found out I was a wizard last week._"

He found it very easy to talk with the snake; it didn't seem weird or anything. It was very natural.

"_You are unique, young one. Many would look to bond with a snake, especially one as rare as I, and become our master. They find it helps to focus their Magic and makes them more in tune with their magical core_."

Harry scrunched up his eyebrows in thought.

"_What is bad about them wanting to help focus their Magic? Wouldn't they treat you well?"_ Harry didn't see how that could be bad, unless…

_"They can force us to do things that we may not want to do – we do not enjoy being subjugated to their will."_

Harry blanched, feeling ashamed for his assumption. "_That's horrible! I wouldn't want anyone telling me what to do... And I don't want to control anyone, I just want someone to share things with._" He whispered longingly.

The snake lifted its head a little higher and looked searchingly in Harry's eyes. "_That is very good to hear. I would be more than happy to be your companion. Even happier to bond with you - we get something out of it as well. We are tied to your magic and can live longer - though it's not worth having a cruel master. We have to decide wisely to allow a bond, though sometimes a very powerful wizard can usurp our control and force us to act as if we were bonded._"

Harry smiled. "_I would like that and wouldn't want anyone to force themselves on you, though are you poisonous? I am very new to all of this and want to make sure I can bring you to Hogwarts_."

"_I am very poisonous young one, though if we are bonded, I cannot bite someone unless you command me. We only bite in self-defense_."

"_Hang on a minute, err, do you have a name_?" He asked.

"_We are unnamed until bonded, our master chooses a name_"

"_What would you like to be called, if I can take you_?"

"_I would be honored if one such as you would name me. You are very kind and genuine. We can always tell what resides within a person_."

"_I would call you 'Kaa,' after a character in a book I read. The snake was a friend to the human and that is very much what I hope for you to be._"

"_I like it, youngling. I want to be this Kaa for you._"

Harry turned to McGonagall. "Minnie, can I take him with me to Hogwarts. He has consented to bond with me and won't be able to hurt anyone, unless I told him to - which I wouldn't. He - hang on,"

He turned to the snake, "_Kaa, you are a male, correct? Your tag is uncertain, no offense."_

_ "Yes, youngling, and no offense, I am very rare. An Egyptian Apophis Asp. There are very few of us left_."

Harry smiled at his new friend. He would have to ask what an Apophis Asp meant later, he wasn't up on rare magical snake breeds.

"I just wanted to make sure he was male as the tag was uncertain, and he is" Harry continued as he turned his attention back to McGonagall. He noticed how he could transition from English to parseltongue without even thinking about it – it must be a subconscious thing.

"Normally students are allowed only one pet, but there have been exceptions in the past and permission must be given, of course." She thought back to the exchange between Harry and the snake and needed to know more about this bond.

"Tell me more about this bond, I have to make sure the other students would be safe safe."

That was reasonable, better than an outright 'no.' Harry reiterated what Kaa had said about bonds and masters and focusing ones' Magic and extended lives. He emphasized that the snake could only bite if commanded to and they generally didn't unless it was in self-defense. Minerva thought an Apophis Asp was interesting and Professor Snape would be interested in such a rare specimen – perhaps the shed skin could be used for something. She would have to tell him to brew an antidote for the venom just in case. She was a Deputy Headmistress after all, and would be remiss in her duties if she didn't act responsibly. Ultimately, she gave her consent on the condition that he kept it in his room and didn't bring it to class.

"Thanks Minnie!" Harry said appreciatively.

Harry turned to Kaa and asked about how the bond was formed.

"_Kaa, how does one become bonded_?"

"_Youngling, since bonds have to be consented to by the snake, I would have to bite you – now don't be alarmed – it is a bite that is laced with my Magic and is not poisonous. Some of my essence goes into you and some of your essence goes into me and the process is complete only after you name me. Naming is how you give your consent, a bond cannot occur unless we both agree to it. The Magic will simply not take hold._"

Harry looked around to see if there where the other people in the store were. Luckily, the shopkeeper was busy with a man thinking about buying something called a kneazle.

'Now is as good a time as any,' he thought.

Harry told Minerva what he planned on doing before sticking his left hand inside the tank; he wouldn't want to scare her by the snake suddenly biting him.

Kaa slithered over to his hand and quickly bit the top of Harry's hand, giving a slight prick that started bleeding slightly. Harry then performed his role.

"_Kaa, I name you… and I hope we become great friends_." He added his own touch to the ritual.

Immediately, his wound healed leaving two faint scars and he felt this growing tingling sensation inside of him. The sensation began slowly where the bite had occurred and then slowly warmed his entire body and then quickly faded away.

"_Wow_," they both hissed quietly in unison.

All of the other snakes had their heads raised and were staring intently as the bond formed – it was a rare things to witness and was usually considered a great thing if the wizard didn't take advantage of the snake. Most snakes could only dream about being bonded to one such as Harry. The others thought the young one would make a fine companion based on what they knew.

Harry offered his hand to Kaa, and the serpent wrapped around his wrist – the contact sent bursts of warmth up his arm.

'_This feels nice_,' he thought.

'_I agree, my whole body is warm, youngling_.'

'_Wait, how can you hear my thoughts_?' He looked down at the snake, who had raised its head.

'_I think it has to do with the bond, try putting me down to see if it continues while we are separated_.'

Harry set Kaa down in his cage and tested their mental link.

'_Kaa, can you hear me_?'

Silence.

"_Kaa, do you think we can only do it when we are touching_?" He now voiced his question.

"_That would seem to be the case_," he hissed back.

"_Interesting. Did you know about this_?"

"_No youngling, our knowledge is limited to what has been passed down. Very few bonds do occur and they tend to be with larger snakes, making prolonged contact difficult. It is an unforeseen advantage for us. We will be able to communicate in public without anyone knowing that I am hidden under your robes_."

That was certainly an advantage and one that would come in handy without drawing unwanted attention to himself.

He looked at Minerva who had watched this little experiment unfold and she raised her eyebrow expectantly.

"We bonded, Minnie," he practically gushed. "And we can communicate with our minds when Kaa and I are in physical contacts. We will be able to communicate in public if he is hidden on my arm. This is wonderful!"

"That is certainly something, now we better purchase Kaa and then move on."

They brought the tank to the front and Harry paid 10 galleons for the snake - which was a bargain considering how rare the snake was. This was also why Harry wasn't questioned about purchasing a _very_ venomous snake – the shopkeeper assumed it was going to be used for some potion that required scales. It was a common reason for snakes to be purchased after all. Well, that and the shopkeeper didn't know exactly which breed it was. Otherwise, he wouldn't have even had it in the store. They left the store and Harry asked Minerva to unshrink his trunk so that he could store the tank, but allowed Kaa to slither up and curl around his forearm. When the trunk was shrunk down again, he picked it up and they started walking to get his potion supplies and telescope.

They were very quick in getting those supplies and just needed to pick up his clothes, get his wand and, finally, books.

The clothes were picked up and stored in his closet and they were on the move. Harry was starting to get nervous as they approached Ollivander's Wands. Minerva had been telling him how imperative it was that the correct wand was chosen because it would help when performing Magic.

The first thing Harry noticed once he was inside was the dust. Nothing looked new and there were some areas completely covered in a very think layer of grime that was not appealing. There was not a lot of room to move around either because there was a counter quite close to the door and behind it were rows filled with small boxes that looked like they had been sitting there for a while.

His thoughts were interrupted as his eyes caught a man coming from the back of the shop with white, Einstein-esque hair growing in every direction. Harry suddenly thought that his hair looked quite manageable in comparison.

"Ah, Minerva, how wonderful to see you again. Where are the rest of the muggle-borns," he asked looking around. He was used to seeing Minerva every year as she led around those newest to Magic. Surely there was more than one this year.

"Hello Mr. Ollivander. Actually, I will be around next weekend with that group. Today, I am accompanying Mr. Potter here." She moved to pat him on the shoulder.

White eyebrows rose slightly at that. "Excellent, I had been wondering when you would be coming around, Mr. Potter."

"Now, let's see if we can find you a suitable wand."

Harry was paying attention to everything this singularly odd man was doing. Mr. Ollivander told him how he remembered every wand he had ever sold including their length, core, and kind of wood. He could also tell you how stiff the wand was as well. He was picking up some wands and putting them to his ear and even licking a few to select those he thought Harry should try. Minerva seemed nonplussed by all of this; it didn't bother her in the least.

Every single wand that Harry tried was either immediately taken from him because something had shattered or had caught on fire. Sweat could be seen on Mr. Ollivander's brow now as he was muttering something about a tricky customer.

Kaa was starting to get restless and a few wands he had even mentally hissed at. At the moment, he was far more in tune to Magic than Harry was – the bond's beneficial effect for Harry's Magic would develop over time – and some wands did not agree with him at all.

Suddenly, it seemed that Mr. Ollivander had an idea, or he just gave up on Harry, because he stopped rummaging through a mountain of wands and went into the back.

"I wonder," he muttered as he returned to face Harry. "How about this wand?"

Harry hesitantly reached out to grab it.

'_ooooh, I like the feel of this one_,' Kaa thought as the wand was coming near.

Harry wrapped his fingers around the wand and immediately felt this rush as if hurricane-force winds were upon him. It was indescribable – it connected with something in the very center of his chest and unleashed this tingling sensation that danced along his skin. The tip of the wand began to glow in the most beautiful emerald green color that Harry had ever seen and illuminated all of their faces, so unlike the sickly light of the curse from his dreams.

The rush slowly settled and left Harry's hair in even more disarray than usual. Harry could hear and feel Kaa's pleasure at the wand. He felt him slither around his arm because of the energy release.

"Curious, Mr. Potter, very curious indeed." Ollivander took a moment to collect himself while Minerva was unable to show any more shock at what happened around Harry. She would have been more worried at this point if something unusual _didn't_ happen.

Harry focused on the man after his Magic settled. It was the first time he could really _feel_ his Magic, that there was something else under his skin that he could possible control. He couldn't wait to master it.

"Why is it curious, Mr. Ollivander?"

"I have remembered every wand that I have ever sold. This wand is eleven inches and made from Holly. Its magical core contains the feather of a particular phoenix that gave just one other feather. In wandmaking, we call that a brother wand because they have the same core from the same animal. It is very curious why you should be destined for this wand when its brother did unspeakable evil." He thought about how to best phrase it. How do you tell someone that his wand's brother killed his parents?

Harry was ahead of him.

"Let me guess, Voldemort?" Harry deadpanned. Both adults gasped at the sudden and unexpected exclamation of the taboo name.

Minerva's gasp was mostly due to yet another connection that Harry now shared with Voldemort. She was one of the few that knew of the prophecy, but as a general rule thought divination was a very imprecise branch of Magic and thought most visions of the future were dragon dung. However, that didn't explain all of these 'coincidences.' She wondered about the meaning of the brother wand if Voldemort had already died – not to mention the parseltongue – and that caught her attention. What if he wasn't dead? Her mind was reeling with the possibilities: did Dumbledore know, did he suspect? She would have to think on this. Harry's rapid-fire questioning abilities were starting to wear off on her.

Ollivander's eyes answered his question. Harry was honestly getting a little annoyed at the constant reminder of Voldemort in his life and everything they apparently had in common.

Kaa was privy to what Harry was working out in his mind and decided to interrupt.

'_Youngling, I sense there is more to this story than that. I can taste hesitancy and apprehension on the one you call Minerva while the old one is truly curious about all of this. I would caution you to hold things to yourself in this moment. Perhaps ask Minerva later about the whole story. I think she is confused about something as well_.'

Harry's internal ranting had stopped to listen to Kaa's advice. Kaa told him that most snakes were very patient and liked to analyze before acting.

'_We can figure all this stuff out later; you are not alone in this anymore. Minerva is genuine - she is very protective of you. I get the feeling she is looking out for you. And you have me – you will always have me._' Kaa squeezed Harry's arm slightly to reinforce his support.

'_Thanks, Kaa I needed to hear that. I'm not used to having other people to lean on. I'm glad you are here and I wouldn't know what to do without Minnie! We can talk to her at dinner – I just want to go get my books and get out of this shop. It is creepy and I am beginning to feel it along my skin._'

Harry turned to Minerva. "I suppose we can add this to our dinner conversation?"

She nodded, a pained look in her eyes.

He then glanced at Mr. Ollivander, "Thank you for the help today and for helping me with my wand. How much is it?" He was trying his best to be polite.

Harry wasn't even up to figuring out if he could get a second wand at the moment, getting out of the store was his only goal. He needed a breather; hopefully the bookstore didn't have any unexpected surprises. But then again, there could very well be a book that unearthed something else unexpected if this trend continued.

The wand came to 15 galleons and Harry thanked the man again. Ollivander felt he needed to add something - brother wands were a rare occurrence. He would never have imagined brother wands involving the death of the parents of one of the owners, however.

"Mr. Potter, connecting with a wand in the way you did only happens when your magical core has a strong connection to the wands' core. It will allow you to have better access to your Magic. I think it is safe to say that we can expect great things from you, regardless of the connection it shared with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's wand."

Harry nodded and then left the store because he didn't know how to reply to that. Minerva lingered a little to give a questioning look at Ollivander before also following Harry out of the door. She had been given a lot to think about, and the day was not over yet.

Ollivander soon put a 'be back in 10' sign on the store before heading into the back and writing a letter to the man who had given him access to the phoenix in the first place. He would want to know about this unique connection between Harry's wand to that of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

The trip to Flourish and Blotts was very quiet between Harry and Minerva. Kaa and Harry, however, were discussing everything through their mind link. Kaa was determined to learn as much as possible to protect his master and approved of Harry's plan to get as many books as possible. It would take time, but Harry had things he felt were _imperative_ to learn as quickly as possible.

Minerva was lost in thought. She was planning just how she would explain everything to Harry. She couldn't tell him everything but it wasn't because she wanted to hold things from him or thought he was too young to process them. Some of the information was quite sensitive, especially when she was beginning to have doubts that Voldemort was really gone. She would have to ensure that Harry could protect what information she would give him and for that he needed to learn Occlumency. Normally, it wasn't something she recommended for students to learn – even though it had benefits of organizing the mind and making learning much easier with faster memory recall. The Deputy Headmistress in her didn't like the thought of students being able to hide things from her. Not that she would use Legilimency, but she liked to able to read people.

'Merlin help them if the Weasley twins ever learned this', she thought.

They entered the store and Minerva pointed to where Harry could pick up all of his first year texts. She knew he would want to purchase other books so she arranged with one of the workers to provide Harry parchment where he could select all of the other books he wanted. This way, when he went to pay for them, he just needed to hand them the list and they would hand the books over in a bag with an expansion charm on them instead of Harry lugging book after book up to the register.

Minerva had wanted to pick up a few books herself and figured she would give Harry a belated birthday present of sorts. She also perused through the latest Transfiguration Today because Harry would undoubtedly take a while going through his version of a candy shop. It was the last stop they had to make before dinner and she was exhausted. She sat in one of the more comfortable chairs and settled in as Harry began to explore.

He was grateful for the parchment Minnie had gotten him to record all of the books he wanted. This way he would be able to focus on which books he wanted instead of worrying how he was going to carry everything. He knew though that he wouldn't be able to understand the more advanced texts and would wait on getting them. He was a believer in making sure you had a good understanding of the basic material before advancing. So he only selected a few additional books for every subject, books that talked more about the theoretical basics. For example, several of his supplemental potion texts centered on understanding the magical properties of ingredients and why certain things went together and certain things didn't. He also selected texts that focused on channeling and controlling your Magic. These, he figured, would help with his charms and transfiguration texts. The majority of his books centered on the magical world: history, customs, and politics, especially. He tried to find as many books as possible on recent events; he wanted to learn everything he could about this Voldemort person. He also picked up quite a few books on magical animals and snakes in particular. Kaa was quite excited about _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. Harry had always been fascinated by Egyptian culture and found several books detailing and describing Magical Egypt. Of course, _Hogwarts A History_ was also purchased.

When he went to pay at the counter about an hour later, he was happy that he noticed they participated in owl-ordering as well. He had only selected about a 100 books and was happy to note that they provided a list of all the books so Harry could update his library as he went along. He was sure though these books would last him a year if not more – some were very thick and he wanted time to process them. He would also have course work to contend with he reasoned. It would take time for him to learn what he felt he needed to know, but he needed to start somewhere. There was always a beginning and this was his.

Harry had added the books to his trunk's library with Minnie's help and they soon found themselves in a more upscale wizarding pub than The Leaky Cauldron. Minerva thought this would be ore appropriate for their conversation as they could be assured a more private table and different clientele that frequented The Leaky Cauldron.

Minerva had surprised Harry with several books that she had gotten his as a belated present. All had focused on the mind art known as Occlumency. They detailed various mediation techniques and different ways to organize the mind. She instructed him to begin there before moving on to the ones that went over how to construct defenses and protect your mind against someone using Legilimency.

Harry was slightly puzzled over why she was giving him these books. She thought this would serve as the introduction to their conversation that would no doubt take up the rest of their conversation.

"Harry," she began. "I am giving you these books because there are things I wish for you to know. These things are sensitive in nature and I wouldn't want anyone to pry them from your mind. I do intend to tell you everything but feel it prudent to make sure you can protect this information."

Harry nodded solemnly.

'_I knew she meant well_,' Kaa had intoned after he had learned what Minerva had said by Harry processing it for hm. Snakes couldn't understand English, after all. That didn't stop them from being able to taste the emotions or intent on someone, however.

"I will tell you what I can about the Blacks and about Sirius, but"

She paused, "V-Voldemort will have to wait until later." If Harry could say this, she would force herself to face this name as well.

"Now, it all starts with James' parents – your grandparents. Charlus Potter was a Gryffindor and he became enchanted with one Dorea Black of Slytherin. It was quite the scandal now mind you, as those houses don't tend to get along: a tradition that has sadly continued until today. Now, Dorea was the first-cousin of Arcturus Black who was the grandfather of Sirius Black. So James and Sirius were second cousins once-removed. That makes Sirius your third cousin."

She let that information sink in before continuing at his nod.

"Most families in the wizarding world are related in one way or another through all the intermarrying in the name of keeping their blood pure." She noted with a slight disgust gracing her features.

"Aside from being related, James and Sirius were practically attached at the hip; it was rare to find one without the other. At Hogwarts that only intensified as they were both sorted into Gryffindor, much to the ire of the rest of the Blacks as they had been in Slytherin for centuries. They also found Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew as other Gryffindor first years. The four of them became a group that got into a fair amount of trouble in their days because they loved pranks and were thick as thieves. Remus, in fact, teaches at Hogwarts now. He is the Defense Against The Dark Arts - DADA – Professor."

She paused again as they placed their drink order and she ordered Harry another butterbeer and for herself a rather large class of wine. She deserved it after the day she had and needed a bit of liquid courage as she continued this tale.

"Their friendship continued after they left Hogwarts and Sirius was the best man at your parents' wedding. He was named your godfather as well."

Her wine had arrived and she took a very large sip. They ordered their food and she continued. Harry was hanging on her every word by this point.

"Now, some stuff happened and I will tell you once you have learned Occlumency… That I can promise. The short story is that Voldemort was after you and your parents and they went into hiding. Lily performed a particularly powerful and difficult to perform charm that would allow them to hide. It involved the secret of where they were hiding and that secret was stored in someone's very soul – only the person whose soul had the secret within them could tell it to others. In this way, it was thought that your parents and you would be safe. It was arranged for Sirius to be this secret-keeper. However, he betrayed your father after a year of being the secret-keeper and told it to Voldemort."

Her eyes were glistening with tears. She had been most surprised by Sirius' defection to the Dark Lord. She would never have imagined for him to stab James Potter in the back.

"That… that was the night Voldemort came to your house… and… you remember the rest," she finished with tears now escaping from her eyes.

Harry was stunned, furious even. To betray a friend like that, to betray anyone like that was something that he couldn't stand for.

With tears in his eyes and a fire in his heart, he asked through gritted teeth, "and what happened to Sirius Black?"

"Peter Pettigrew figured out what must have happened and went after Sirius. He confronted him in the middle of the street in central London and a fight ensured. Peter was killed along with 13 muggles. Sirius was carted off to Azkaban – a wizarding prison – where he will never see the light of day again!" She downed the rest of her wine and ordered another.

Kaa was enraged at this betrayal as well and Harry was glad that he had Kaa with him for the umpteenth time that day. He was glad for the support.

Harry felt panged at the loss of Peter, even though he didn't know him, but he was proud that he was that loyal to his dad. 'He had honor,' he thought.

"And what of Remus?" Harry thought absentmindedly. Why didn't Remus come looking after him?

Minerva had recovered somewhat from the outpouring of emotions. "Remus took this very hard. He lost all of his friends at once and went away for some time. He returned about five years ago and has been teaching at Hogwarts ever since. He is very closed off though, he has too many scars… he lost as much as anyone that night. Except you," she finished. And those emotions came back to her.

Harry would look forward to speaking with Remus. That was the one bit of good news in all of this, the only thing that kept his silent rage in check. He hated Sirius for what he had done. He would find out why he betrayed his parents. 'One way or another,' he promised himself.

Their food came, though both of them just picked at it. Harry's thoughts were all in a disarray. At least he knew just about everything now, he reckoned. One thing bothered him though, and this he suspected fell under the 'what she couldn't tell him now' clause.

"Why was Voldemort after me and my parents?" Harry had hit the proverbial nail on the head.

Minerva sighed. "I can't tell you that right now, Harry." She was torn. She thought he was certainly intelligent and mature enough to handle this, but knew it was sensitive information. She decided that she had to be prudent. She started into her second glass of wine. Harry noticed this and thought it was quite a break of character for her and wondered what information could be so important that it required mind protection and brought about this reaction in Minnie.

"I understand," Harry spoke quietly. "There must be something important about this. I thank you though for sharing what you have. I really appreciate how forthcoming you have been with all of this – though it certainly has been difficult to hear at times."

"It is the least I can do, Harry." She reached out to grab his hand.

"I promise that you are not alone in any of this. Any question you have, just write to me. You have an owl now."

Harry nodded his appreciation. He needed to be alone for a while though and just process everything. The sooner he learned more about this world, the better off he would be. He hoped.

They chatted aimlessly for the rest of the meal. Minerva didn't want him to just dump him back home after all of that. She was amazed at how he processed everything though. She suspected he had already been doing some of the meditation required for Occlumency as he had been growing up to deal with everything, especially the dreams. When they left, Harry was visibly tired though she felt comfortable leaving him. She suspected that they would owl chat over the coming weeks before term. Or she would just come back and check up on him.

It was a tired and exhausted Harry that found himself exiting the Knightbus with Minerva later that evening. She had wanted to spend a bit more time with him and teach him how to use this service, should he ever need it. And she had a bit much to chance side-along apparation. Minerva had left him at the door, after asking him if he wanted her to go in with him. He assured her that he would be all right and just wanted to go to sleep. She gave a supportive pat on his shoulder and reminded him again to owl her with any questions. She watched him go through the door and took a calming breath before walking down the street to a spot where she wouldn't be seen as she disappeared into the warm August night.

**Let me know what you think! I'm very happy with Kaa – I kinda wish I had him now :(**


	5. Kreacher's Secret

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, I have my reasons for bringing things into play this early. I want to go in a different direction than what was written in the books.

Let me know what you think. I love reviews, especially the ones that provide helpful critiques :)

Posted 2/22/15

**Standard disclaimer about not owning anything! JK I love you.**

Harry entered the house and quietly shut the door behind him. He then leaned back against the door and looked at the hallway and focused on the cupboard under the stairs. When he was little, he used to take refuge in there after his bad dreams – he thought he would be protected. He took a measured breath as he fought the urge to go in there once more. But it wouldn't get rid of his problems – and he couldn't hide from them - not anymore.

For once he appreciated the normalcy of this place. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happened on Privet Drive. 'Well, except recently,' he thought.

He pushed off the door and continued on to the kitchen to get a glass of water. The Dursleys had already eaten and were watching one of their regularly scheduled programs. It wasn't that unusual for him to arrive after dinner if he had been spending time in the library so he really didn't have to explain where he had been. Not that they would have really asked. He was spent after everything that had happened that day and just wanted to head up stairs and begin the process of assimilating everything. However, he was glad that all of his school things fit inconspicuously inside of his briefcase so that he wouldn't have to explain anything tonight. He would add that conversation with Petunia to his growing list of things he had to do from now until September 1st.

He climbed the stairs and opened the door to his room. It felt like he had been gone for a week; his life had changed so drastically since he had left this morning. He set his briefcase down in the middle of the room and tapped it with his wand that he had pulled out of his pocket and it reverted back into a trunk. He was fast becoming used to the connection he felt between his core and his wand when it was in his hand and didn't know how he would make it the next few weeks without practicing Magic. Minnie had told him about the restriction on underage Magic use and the consequences of such use, but he still thought it was going to be hard to resist the temptation. Maybe he could get a stick from the backyard and at least practice some of the movements he had seen in some of the books he had purchased in Flourish and Blotts. He would make sure to know the course material and theory, however.

He opened the first compartment of his trunk and removed Kaa's tank and put it next to his bed where he placed his bonded companion in. Now that he looked at it again, and the importance that Kaa would have in his life, he would have to get something better. He would ask Kaa what he wanted tomorrow – it would be his choice after all.

"_Are you hungry, Kaa_?" He solicited. At the shop he had also received a few weeks worth of food when purchasing the snake. He didn't know how often snakes needed to eat or anything but, and this caused him to smile, he at least could be told by the snake when he was hungry or needed something. He put his backpack next to the tank and moved to sit on his bed for a few minutes.

"_No, youngling, I was fed a few days ago. Now that I am bonded, I can feed a little off our bond – specifically your Magic. I will not need to eat as much as normally. I think once a week should suffice but will let you know if I require anything_."

Harry nodded at Kaa who had curled up on himself on the heated stone that came with his tank.

"_How are you doing, youngling_? _Today was hard for you_." Kaa had been attached to Harry for some of the harder moments of the day and knew exactly what had gone on in his head. Harry had also filled Kaa in about some of the earlier events of the day. They had also been able to go back and forth about some of their past during the few down moments that were available to them, such as the ride home on the Knight Bus.

"_I'm not sure to be honest. It is so hard finding out all of this information. I can't help but wonder 'why me.' I don't even know how to put what I am feeling into words at the moment. There is so much I don't understand… we have a lot of material to catch up on_" he sighed and got up from the bed.

Kaa recognized that Harry might just need time to process everything and let him be for the time being.

Harry headed over to his small closet and changed into his pajamas when he had an idea. He removed the invisibility cloak from his bag and stood in front of the mirror and threw it over him. His reflection disappeared. A wicked grin spread over his face – his mind was imagining the possibilities that this family heirloom could provide. It was nice to finally deal with something as non-complicated as an invisibility cloak: You wore it – you disappeared – you could have so much fun with it!

"_Youngling, I can't see you, but I can taste you_. _I take it your father's cloak works?_ _This will be a good protection for you_!" Kaa practically hissed with delight.

"_This **is** wicked_," Harry agreed but added, "_and I think it will be useful for the both of us. Except for Hogwarts, I don't imagine going many places without you_."

Harry was becoming quite used to the snake's presence – he was very happy with how everything had turned out. Speaking of companions, he moved to the window and peered out and his snowy owl was there, perched happily in the tree and reveling in the freedom and ability to stretch her wings. He removed the cloak and opened the window. The owl hooted at his sudden appearance and flew into the room and landed gracefully on his desk.

Harry quickly got her cage out of the trunk and placed it on the small table by his desk that he had been using for his alarm clock. He turned to her and asked her if she wanted to go in it. She voiced one of her menacing hoots. He took that as a no.

Then asked if she needed any food or water – to which she hooted in a more affirmative sounding manner. Harry got the water and food bowls out of his trunk and placed them by her on the desk. He filled some of her water bowl with the water that was in his glass that he had gotten from the kitchen. She took her fill and nipped his finger affectionately. She was content and happy to be here. She was happy to be home.

He then decided to introduce his new familiars to each other, and sincerely hoped they could at least tolerate each other considering what they were. He had been inexplicably drawn to both and hoped that there would be no problems.

He reached into the tank and retrieved Kaa before turning to the owl and approached her slowly so as not to scare her.

"Hey girl – " he paused, he really needed to give her a name. "- I promise I will name you tomorrow; I just haven't thought of one that is suitable yet."

He raised his left hand that had Kaa attached to his wrist and held him up to her eye level while still keeping some distance between the two.

"This is Kaa, girl. He is bonded to me and won't hurt you. I can somehow speak to snakes and when he and I are touching, we can communicate through our mind"

He reinforced what he had just said by touching his forehead and then slowly and gently touching Kaa's head and then his own forehead again.

She looked at him as if saying, 'yes I heard you the first time, sheesh.'

"Both of you are important to me and I want you to get along, is that OK, girl?"

He reached his right hand out for her to nip at, he wanted to emphasize that she was important to him as well.

The owl and the snake eyed each other searchingly and they both studied the other for a moment before the owl looked away, satisfied with whatever she had seen because she turned to Harry and hooted an exceptionally pleasing sound he took to mean 'fine with me.'

"_I am more than OK with this youngling; I can sense she likes you and will be quite difficult to get rid of. I think she has claimed you as hers though, rather than the other way around._" Kaa chose to hiss this out loud out of respect to the owl, even though she wouldn't understand.

She hooted, however, in a way that said 'what he said was true.'

Harry was just happy to have the both of them and didn't even try to think about if she could understand parseltongue – it just wasn't important at the moment. They all seemed to get along and this very weird band of characters would now be a part of his family.

He moved to hold out his right hand and she nipped it affectionately before flying out of the window to perch in the tree that was right outside.

He softly called after her, "good night, girl."

An appreciative hoot was all he had gotten in response.

He had just closed the window, while leaving a slight crack in case his owl needed something, when there was a soft knock at this door. He wondered if his owl had made more noise than he had thought and wondered how he would even begin to explain it to The Dursleys. Harry placed Kaa in the tank and quickly threw his cloak over him and the tank shimmered into nothingness. He decided to leave his trunk as is. It looked like they would have that conversation about Hogwarts today after all. He opened the door to find Petunia standing there. Vernon and Dudley were still downstairs based on the faint sound of the telly.

"May I come in, Harry," she asked looking around apprehensively as if this was the last thing she had wanted to do and the last place she had wanted to be.

"Of course, Aunt Petunia," he moved to let her in.

Harry saw her eye the trunk when she had entered the room as she moved to sit on the edge of his bed before closing her eyes.

"I see you got your school supplies," she said softly. "I had hoped that you would get them today while we were out. I apologize for not offering to take you but it's difficult for me." She stopped speaking and opened her eyes to look at him.

"That school changed everything between me and my sister. I never got over being jealous of her or what she could do, and by the time I had come to terms with it, it was too late. We had grown apart and she had left school and went into hiding for some reason after she had you. I never got to tell her I was sorry."

Harry was slightly shocked by Petunia's sudden gushing of her past. Especially when she was admitting her own shortcomings – not many people could do that.

She continued quickly. She didn't want to draw out this conversation longer than it was necessary.

"I had assumed that you would be going there as well – with two parents like _that_." She admitted with some uncertainty. She didn't think she could say the word, 'Magic.' Not with all the pain it had caused her.

"Shortly before she … you came to live here, she wrote me a letter saying that terrible things were happening. She was doing everything she could think of to keep you safe. She said that she had arranged things to offer you a very powerful protection. This protection would keep you safe – but only if I took you in would it continue after being activated. This protection would also extend to me and my family as well," she paused as tears were starting to well in her eyes.

"She promised me that she would do anything and everything to protect her family and that she had never stopped loving me." Tears were now falling freely from both of them.

Harry had unconsciously moved to the bed and sat next to his aunt and their trembling hands found each other as an understanding passed between them. Apologies and forgiveness didn't need to be uttered at this point - they were united in their grief.

"She gave me some pointers on things that might happen with you, and what you would need. To be honest, I don't know if she really thought I was the best to raise you – but she was convinced you would be safest here. It was very clear that you were everything to her." Petunia's tears had stopped now. She looked at Harry's face and didn't know how to respond to his tears.

"She told me to let you grow into the person you wanted to be and that was all she wished."

Harry was now tightly squeezing his aunt's hand at this point for comfort, which was being reciprocated. It was the least Petunia could do, after all.

Harry had never expected this conversation to happen – to be told by someone that his parents had done everything, literally, they could think of to protect him. Let alone Aunt Petunia. He felt the letter that his aunt had received was preparing her for his parent's death with their hope that he would be protected. His parents had sacrificed everything for him. It was very bittersweet. On one hand he had been so cherished and loved, but on the other – he didn't get the chance to know them.

"I am sorry if I wasn't more motherly towards you, Harry. I didn't know how to be. I don't know how to be…" she finished.

She felt guilty. She had tried to forget the past as best she could. It was the only way she knew how to cope with the situation – and so she ignored it as much as possible.

But she couldn't anymore; at least with this. Harry deserved to be given these answers; no matter how much pain it caused her.

"It's OK, Aunt Petunia," Harry sniffled. "Life is hard and while I can't say I understand why you did things the way you did, I can understand that we all process things differently."

That was what Harry had gathered from all of the books he read and all of the human interaction he had seen. Everyone handled things differently. Sometimes life wasn't so much as living life to the fullest, but struggling to cope with the past; struggling to just survive.

"Thank you Aunt Petunia, for telling me. I really appreciate it." He finally understood why she had acted the way she did, and while it may not have been the best way of handling the situation; he could at least begin to understand her motivation.

She moved to stand and released his hand.

"I take it you will need to be taken to the train station in September?" She looked pointedly at him.

He nodded.

"Just let me know in advance and I will take you," She moved to open the door but stopped and kept her back towards him.

"You are so like Lily, Harry. The way you talk and process everything. I think that is why it was so hard for me to be there for you. You remind me of what I had lost and the mistakes I had made. I am sorry for that, truly. But know that your mother would have been proud of you. I do hope you find your place and live a better and happier life than she did."

With that she exited without even turning around.

And now Harry really understood. That made so much flipping sense! His insides were churning and he fell over to lie sideways on the bed and curled his feet under him.

He began to cry. He cried for his parents and for him and for Petunia. He cried for everything that had happened and everything that he didn't understand.

"_Master!_" Kaa hissed loudly breaking Harry out of his downward spiral. Harry remained horizontal on the bed and removed the cloak with his left hand and reached his hand into the tank so that Kaa could climb on his wrist. The sudden contact of warmth was enough to halt the icy pain that was threatening to claim him. He spent the next few minutes filling Kaa in on everything that had transpired since Kaa could only interpret emotions.

Kaa was doing his best to sooth Harry and they had even heard some hoots from outside. Harry was completely and utterly spent. It was just one thing after another after another. Only the support from his new companions had allowed him to keep some semblance of his sanity. After Kaa was assured that Harry had calmed down enough, he strongly suggested that Harry do his best to get to sleep. Harry gently placed Kaa in his tank and thanked him for everything.

Harry picked up the cloak from the floor and then turned off the lights. He climbed onto his bed, not even bothering to get under the covers and just lied there, numb. His only thoughts were of his father's cloak covering him, and that was the last thing he remembered before he fell into a dreamless sleep.

He woke early in the morning with his father's cloak bundled tightly around him after falling asleep trying to wrap himself in as much of his parent's love as possible. He had never been one to need more than six or seven hours of sleep to function. Also, being an early riser allowed him to get a head start on the day.

After the events of yesterday, and the past week, Harry felt he had aged ten years. Looking around the room and seeing his trunk and Kaa and his owl outside still on her perch – whom he really needed to name – brought a measure of comfort to him. He supposed it gave him the strength to face the days ahead. He had a lot to do, but he wouldn't go through it alone.

'And I have Minnie,' he thought.

He performed his morning bathroom routine and returned to his room. Harry looked around and considered that he might as well get things sorted in his trunk before taking a break for breakfast and then he would properly begin his wizarding education.

The clothes were easily sorted and put away and he made a mental note to ask if Gringotts could exchange money for the muggle world for him to get a few things to supplement his new wizarding wardrobe. He also draped his invisibility cloak on the chair in the sitting area. Sorting his books out in his library took a little longer as he wondered how he would organize things. He settled with arranging them by topic instead of trying to alphabetize anything. The Marauder's map and letters were placed carefully on the desk; at some point the letters would be read but he figured it might not be today.

They were likely to contain some pretty powerful and emotional things and Harry felt he needed a break from that and that it would probably be wise to focus on other things. As much as he wanted to find out, he wanted to savor it as well. They were that present that you wanted to open last, but once you did all of the excitement was over.

The process of sorting his books had only taken about thirty minutes and he arrived in the kitchen to find that he was the first one up, which didn't surprise him. Since he usually made breakfast for everyone on the weekends, he prepared an extra special meal. It was more an unconscious act of trying to regain some control, some form of normalcy back in his life.

The smell from the traditional English breakfast had wafted through the home and beckoned The Dursleys to the kitchen table. It was a meal that brought people to the table and kept them there.

"Thanks boy, it looks splendid," Vernon intoned. Which for him was practically gushing.

Petunia gave him an appreciative nod before reverting back to her normally detached persona, perhaps even more aloof than usual. But given the previous evening... Dudley just dove right in after a quick, "Thanks mate."

They finished the meal in relative silence. Vernon was reading the paper and Dudley had his programs to watch or maybe he would spend the day with Piers. Harry didn't really know or care. Petunia never ate particularly fast and just focused on the meal. He suspected that last night had been very difficult for her, more difficult than he could imagine. In a strange way he was proud of her for what she did. It couldn't have been easy for her to express her feelings on a topic that she had repressed for so long. He was just grateful for what she had said, and rest wasn't really important to him.

Harry finished his meal and put his dishes in the sink. Petunia would always clean up when Harry cooked and vice-versa.

Then he headed upstairs and went into his room and over to Kaa who slithered up to his preferred position encircling his arm. He glanced out the window to see that his owl was still in her perch when he remembered that owls were more active at night and she must have gone hunting or whatever owls did during the night. He refilled her water bowl and left it by the open window in case she wanted water when he was in his trunk. But he was also aware that she was intelligent, too intelligent, and could _probably_ make it a few hours on her own and get water from somewhere else. However, it didn't matter if she considered him hers, he considered himself responsible for her – and he would always take care of his companions.

He headed into the library compartment and was soon faced with the daunting task of where he would begin his studies. He put the letters in his desk, officially deciding that today he would take a break from his past. With everything that had been going on, a break from his emotions would be nice and would provide an opportunity to build up his reserves to handle what he thought were in those letters. He expected they contained answers to a lot of question he had but he couldn't bring himself to open them just yet. He wasn't ready.

He decided to pen a letter to Sharptooth asking him about what he needed to do, if anything, to exchange money into pounds. He asked if the bank had something similar to his key to use in the muggle world instead of exchanging galleons into pounds. Harry figured he would catch a bus into London on a weekday and do his shopping. He also requested information about his account: past investments and any other pertinent information he should be aware of.

Harry exited the trunk with his letter in hand and moved to the window. The owl seemed to sense he had something for her. She flew into the room and rested on a perch that Harry had fashioned by removing it from the inside of the cage so she could remain in his room without being contained. He asked if she was up to a little trip and she hooted her enthusiasm. After such a long time from being in the Magical Menagerie, she jumped at any chance to stretch her wings.

"Please take this to Sharptooth at Gringotts. Can you do that?"

Hoot. Hoot.

"I will come up with a list of names for you to choose between when you come back, girl. We can't have something as extraordinary as you have just any name." He wondered were he would get inspiration from to name such an intelligent owl.

He held out the letter and watched as it just went to her feet as she flew by on her way out the window. He wondered again if owls had some magic placed on them to be able to carry things, as he didn't think that they had evolved that particular ability to carry things magically. But then again, he didn't know that much about Magic. It could have been true.

Harry returned to his library and decided to start with _A History of Magic_ and settled on the couch to start his long road of getting acclimated to his new world.

Within the trunk, Harry found that he lost all sense of time. When he exited the trunk to get some lunch, he was surprised that it was almost 4. He had been productive though, and had a list of names he thought were suitable. Ultimately, his owl would be the one to decide her own name.

He went downstairs and had put together a sandwich for himself and some crisps. Harry also decided on a few bottles of water and an apple he could use as a snack for inside his trunk.

He had gone back into the trunk and eaten his meal and contemplated the map on his desk. When he was finished eating, he opened the map and pointed his wand at the center.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he intoned reverently; thinking about how he was using something his dad had helped create.

Nothing happened. He tried again multiple times putting his wand in different places and even holding it in different positions. Even re-reading the brief note he had read in his vault for something he might have forgotten didn't help. He ultimately concluded that maybe you had to actually be at Hogwarts for it to work properly. He hoped that was the case at least, he would be bummed if it didn't work. Having the map and the cloak would be such a boon!

He continued his perusal of his _A History of Magic_ text until he couldn't read anymore and was pleased to note that he had made it about a quarter of the way through.

He left the trunk and deposited the used dishes in the kitchen and returned to his room a little after 6. By this time, his owl was back in the tree and had left a rather large envelope on the desk that was bundled with a letter that was addressed to him.

He went over to the window and called for his owl and she flew in to land on her perch.

"I have a list for you," he said excitedly as he held out the list in front of her.

"Let me know what names you like and which you don't, OK? If you don't like any of them, I will come up with more." He looked to her and she blinked her eyes and moved her head forward and down ever so slightly. Of course his owl could nod her head. What couldn't she do?

"Athena" He paused to let her respond. An immediate 'no' hoot was given along with a threatening stare.

"No to Athena, moving on," as he checked one name off.

"Ariadne," garnered a 'meh.' And another line was drawn through a name.

"Hedwig," however was greeted with delight in the form of soft trills.

"You like 'Hedwig,' then, girl?" He liked the name himself. Though the others could have been more appropriate given that Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom and her symbol was an owl or Ariadne, who could find her way through a maze and mirrored his owl's ability to find her target. But they ultimately lacked her uniqueness and personality.

He then laid out some more water for her and put out some treats, figuring Hedwig would prefer to hunt at night, but deciding that she did get a reward for carrying that large package. He didn't know how it was possible for her to carry that - but could only conclude and accept that Magic had something to do with it.

He turned his attention to the letter and opened it to reveal a very elegant script.

_Mr. Potter,_

_First, I want to thank you again for entrusting me to watch over your accounts – I will do my best to protect and invest your wealth. Second, that is a very noble owl that you have; she is simply stunning._

_Now, onto business: aside from your financial holdings with Gringotts, I see that you have some property in your name as well. These wouldn't come up through an inheritance test as that Magic only works with what Gringotts has on-site (vaults)._

_The Potters only had a cottage in Godric's Hallows, but it was destroyed the night you lost your parents. It has been demolished and is now a memorial to you and James & Lily. You have my sincere apologies in this regard. I have pictures of the cottage in its prime that I can show you that are here on file. It was very quaint._

_The Blacks have a property that still stands. It has served as the ancestral home of the main branch of the family for generations. It is located at 12 Grimmauld Place in the borough of Islington, London. The Blacks were also in possession of a house elf, Kreacher. Since you are the Black Heir, Kreacher is yours to command._

_I will assume that you have never heard of a house elf and will tell you what I know. They are bound to a family and serve them for their entire lives and can only be freed by being giving an article of clothing by the head of house (you). That act, however, is seen as the highest form of disgrace known to them. They enjoy being subjugated and are fanatically loyal to the house that they serve. It is thought that thousands of years ago, the first house elves made a deal with a wizard to bond to his soul and serve him in exchange for the chance to perform Magic, but that could just be legend. However, they are bound to follow a direct order from their head of house and cannot disregard it, even at the cost of their own lives. They cannot harm their master or any part of the family either. They will punish themselves if they feel they have insulted their master or his house by any manner available to them._

_Kreacher is currently a resident of Grimmauld Place and, again, is now yours. He can be called to you if you speak his name. I will offer a word of caution, however. Elves may be bound by your command, but you must be specific with your orders and allow for no loopholes. They can also access your account here at Gringotts since they are tied to you but they can only take what you ask them to and nothing more – their Magic won't allow it._

_I have attached a summary of investments that the Potter Family has made in the past. Included in the dossier are my thoughts on how we could proceed. Currently, we are focusing investments in the wizarding world but could diversify into the muggle markets if you would care to. It is our practice to never invest more than 50% of the gold we have on hand, however. On the Black side, I would suggest the same, but would advise you to fix Grimmauld Place, if necessary. As an heir to two Ancient and Noble House, it will be expected of you to host functions in the future. Grimmauld Place would be more than appropriate. Kreacher could handle this and remove the necessary funds from either of the Black vaults._

_You only have access to these vaults at your age if you use them for a dwelling. The law doesn't say that you have to live there, however, just that the funds can only be used to repair, establish, or maintain a home. The law was written to make sure that orphan heirs could remain in their houses if they didn't have a trust vault until they came of age._

_As to your request about converting gold to muggle money, I have put a card – similar to a credit card - in the dossier. Using that in the muggle world will link it to your trust account here and withdraw the necessary funds. Just let a drop of blood fall onto it. Again, only you may use it._

_I see that you had quite the spending trip yesterday. 3000 galleons is a bit excessive but you can afford it – though I assume you made some large-one time purchases that added significantly to the total? I hope they serve you well._

_I look forward to the years ahead and in seeing the great wizard you will no doubt become._

_Sharptooth of the Kobold Clan_

_Account Manager for The Houses of Potter and Black_

_Gringotts London Branch_

'Well that was something,' Harry thought dryly. It was a shame that he didn't have a Potter Manor somewhere – he would have preferred that. However, he did have Black Blood and he was a part of that family. No matter how much he wanted to excise Sirius Black from the face of the planet. Well, he at least knew which vault he would take the gold from. It would be fitting for the vault of that traitor to be used to create a Potter stronghold for the future.

He would deal with what was inside the dossier later. He was intrigued with owning a house and more than slightly apprehensive at the thought of 'owning' something akin to a slave.

He went over to Kaa and picked him up, knowing it was easier to relay everything through their mental connection.

After some deliberation, it was decided to call this 'Kreacher' to them and see about restoring the House of Black with the House of Potter honor. He discussed a few things with Kaa before taking a calming breath to steel his nerves.

"Kreacher," he called authoritatively. Kaa had suggested that he be firm and act with confidence as a Head of House should when dealing with the unknown. Kaa instructed that the way you acted in the animal world was all about show. Display was everything and something that everyone respected was power. Kaa was unsure if they should proceed without doing their homework, but he would instruct and protect his bonded if he wished to go down this path. He thought Harry should perhaps have waited until tomorrow but it was something he wasn't that bothered by. Kaa did warn him though of being blinded by wanting to be close to his roots and neglecting to think properly, which Harry did agree to and hoped that Kaa would help him with that aspect in the future. He didn't want to mess anything up by being rash.

A distinct pop was heard drawing their attention to the middle of the room where a short elf appeared that was perhaps one meter tall, at the most, on his tip toes. He was wearing a very old and dirt-encrusted toga and his shoulders were hunched forward, causing his back to arch. His overall appearance was vaguely reminiscent of a goblin, except that he tended to have a more greenish-gray skin color. His nose and ears were also far longer than those of a goblin and hung downwards and his voice wasn't as deep.

"Kreacher at your service, Master"

The elf bowed low in front of him and seemed eager to attend to Harry's needs. He also seemed unable to remain still.

"For so long, Kreacher has hoped that someone would come to claim him, to claim The House of Black, and now that day has come." He struggled to refrain from bouncing up and down.

Harry was uncomfortable. He didn't like the idea that someone, anything was beholden to him in this manner. Slavery was barbaric and it disgusted him.

"Hello, Kreacher. I was informed yesterday that I was the heir to the Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter and Black. Today, I became aware that I owned property -"

He paused, not really comfortable including a sentient being as property in his mind and he was forced to think through this quickly.

"- and employed a house elf."

"The House of Potter, Master? You are the heir to both? May Kreacher ask what his Master's name is?" The elf's eyes were wide with the knowledge of belonging to two Ancient and Noble Houses. That was unheard of to combine two prominent houses into one.

"My name is Harry James Potter and I wish to restore both houses to their Ancient and Noble status. I have Black blood through my Grandmother, Dorea Potter, nee Black. I want to unite both houses and bring back their honor, something that I have been told is sorely lacking as of late. I would of course like your help with this."

"Kreacher will be most pleased to serve Master with this endeavor and anthing else he requires. It is Kreacher's deepest wish to restore the honor of the House of Black, and now Kreacher can serve the House of Potter as well." Kreacher was beside himself at the thought of reinstating his house, no houses, at the top echelon of society once more. Maybe he would even get his head on the wall as a reward!

"Kreacher, I have to say I am uncomfortable with you calling me Master, is it possible for you to call me Harry, instead?"

"Of course, M-Harry. Kreacher lives to serve your commands."

Harry thought he would have to work on their relationship. He hoped he could at least get this notion of 'living to serve' out of his head. That would have to wait for later though.

He continued on. "I understand that I own property, a Grimmauld Place?"

Kreacher nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yes, Harry, Grimmauld Place is the ancestral home of House Black and has stood tall for several centuries. Kreacher cannot detect any property for House Potter, though."

Harry nodded sadly. "That is correct, Kreacher… My home was destroyed by Voldemort. He killed my parents as well."

Kreacher suddenly growled.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is evil, and poor Master Regulus died trying to stop him. Now, Voldemort has hurt M-Harry" Kreacher eyes drifted off and tears began to fill them, threatening to overflow.

"Kreacher, who is this Regulus?" He asked the small elf softly. Harry felt bad for the elf and could definitely understand losing someone to that monster.

"Regulus was the brother of Sirius, he -"

Harry interrupted and became icy, "Do not say that name, he is a traitor and betrayed my parents to their death by telling Voldemort where they were – he was supposed to be their friend and my Godfather and he betrayed them!" Harry practically yelled.

The elf's eyes widened in horror at the thought of his Master suffering an even worse fate than what had befallen Regulus. But Regulus had known what he was getting himself into. And Elves didn't take betrayal lightly.

"Yes, Harry." The elf finished unsurely.

Kaa was doing his best to get Harry's anger under control, and was slowly managing at lessening his rage.

"Kreacher, I am sorry – I didn't mean to yell at you."

Kreacher was dumbstruck – did a wizard just tell him he was sorry? "Kreacher does not need an explanation, Harry." He managed to recover.

"Kreacher is sorry for your loss and will do his best to serve your wishes for bringing honor back to both Noble Houses."

The elf now began to worry about how he had somewhat neglected his duties to care for Grimmauld Place go after years of being alone with no direction. Sure, he had been keeping the place as best he could, but there had been no pride in his work.

"Kreacher must confess that Grimmauld Place needs work. Kreacher's kind has always served The House of Black and Grimmauld Place. Without direction in the last decade, Kreacher grew despondent. Kreacher has been neglecting his duties, and is a bad elf…"

The elf moved curiously over to a shoe that was on the floor and Harry realized too late what Kreacher intended to do. He made it in time to stop the elf from hitting himself a second time.

"Kreacher, I forbid you to punish yourself," he said exasperatedly with his hand around the shoe.

It was disconcerting to see the elf fight against his desire to punish himself with the direct order Harry had given. The order won as the elf let go of the shoe and dropped to his knees in defeat. What had Harry gotten himself into?

"Kreacher," Harry said gently as he knelt down beside the elf.

He continued. "I understand if things were left unkempt; we are going to change that though. Is Grimmauld Place safe, could I visit?"

Kreacher was confused at how nice his master being. No wizard had ever knelt down to his level. 'Except Regulus, poor Master Regulus' the elf thought with the utmost reference. Kreacher would do everything in his power to serve his new Master and defeat The Dark Lord, for he knew that The Dark Lord was not truly dead. Not with Kreacher being unable to destroy the horcrux that Regulus had told him about, that Regulus had given him; That Regulus had died retrieving. Kreacher was now firmly in Harry's corner.

"Grimmauld Place is safe, Harry. Kreacher would never let harm come to his M-you. The portrait of Walburga, Kreacher's mistress may be a problem but Kreacher will stand up for you and tell her what's what. Kreacher could take you there by 'popping' right now. Harry could tell Kreacher what he wants done and Kreacher could do it. Oh, yes he could. Kreacher also has something important from Regulus to show Harry about The Dark Lord. Kreacher has terrible information."

Harry turned to Kaa for advice on all of this.

'_Kaa, do you think I should go over tonight? It could help to get a brief idea of what work needs to be done and then Kreacher could do it. I trust that he would keep us safe, and if this is important about Voldemort, we could tell Minnie what we found out. What are your thoughts?_'

The snake started to peak out of Harry's sleeve to peer at the elf. Harry moved to prevent the elf from being shocked.

"Kreacher, this is my companion, Kaa. We are bonded and he can't hurt you. I trust his judgment and have asked him what he thinks about all of this. Please don't be afraid."

Kreacher started at the snake but began to calm down after Harry's words. His master was a speaker? It was well known that Voldemort was a speaker but he treated his snakes terribly. Kreacher had seen that! This Harry was nothing like The Dark Lord and was very kind, from what he had seen. Kreacher decided to trust his Master and would have had no choice but to obey, but it was nice knowing that he had made this choice independently. He served willingly.

Kaa and the elf peered into each other's eyes, both searching for something that would help them either trust or become wary of the other. After a minute, Kaa turned his head and hissed mentally.

'_I think the elf's words are true. I think we should be cautious with this information about Voldemort. Ask him what it is now though, and then perhaps Minnie should accompany us._'

"Kreacher, what is this information about Voldemort? If it is important, I may ask someone I trust to help us with this."

Kreacher nodded.

"The Dark Lord made a horcrux and Kreacher has it at Grimmauld Place. Regulus died retrieving it and told Kreacher to destroy it but Kreacher did not know how." He said as if that explained everything. His eye was twitching as he fought not to punish himself again for failing Regulus.

"And what is a horcrux?" Harry asked as his heart began to beat wildly with that horrible anticipation he remembered all too well from his dreams. A horcrux sounded like bad news.

"The Dark Lord is not really gone as long as this horcrux survives. Regulus told Kreacher that The Dark Lord put some of his soul into a locket that would make him immortal and keep him from dying."

Harry blanched and Kaa hissed at the knowledge that the one who had caused his bonded so much pain was not truly gone. This was one of the few times that Kaa wanted to bite someone.

Harry snapped out of his stupor and rushed to his desk and penned a quick note to Minnie.

_Minnie,_

_Come quick, this is an emergency. I have just received information that the one who shares something in common with my wand is not dead._

_Harry_

Harry didn't want to say too much in the letter and he didn't know how to exactly spell 'horcrux' either. This information was beyond huge and he felt time was of the utmost importance. He went to the window and sighed in relief that Hedwig was there who picked up on his worry immediately and took flight into the room.

"Take this to Minerva McGonagall as fast as you can and make sure she comes as soon as is humanly or wizardly possible!" Harry pleaded.

Hedwig took the letter and sped off into the night leaving a very worried and paranoid Harry unable to sit still or remain calm. He was rolling his wand back and forth in his hands hoping the connection to his core would sooth him. He had retrieved his cloak as well and put it in his backpack. It wasn't likely that anything would happen or that he would use these items, but he felt better having them in hand. It was a security blanket of sorts to his frazzled and worried mind.

Kaa was solely focused on Harry and Kreacher was torn. He felt bad that Harry was affected like this, but it seemed that Regulus' wish to see that abomination destroyed was close to coming true. Help was on the way!

Thirty minutes later a disheveled and bun-less Minnie apparated directly into the room, one of the few able to bypass the apparition wards placed by Dumbledore over The Dursley's property.

She looked around the room immediately for any sign of a threat and had her wand drawn, ready for battle. Once the room had been secured, she looked worriedly at Harry,

"What's wrong, Harry?" She eyed the house elf with confusion.

She noticed that Harry was on the verge of tears and had run into her arms, trembling.

"Voldemort is not dead, Minnie. He's not dead!" Harry hands clung to her waist as if his life depended on it. Which wasn't that far from the truth if Voldemort was in fact not dead.

Minerva was startled but not completely in shock as she had recently begun to wonder about the possibility of his return with all the odd things she had found out during the previous day with Harry. She was more than worried about Harry's current state of being, however.

"What do you mean, Harry? What did you find out?" She needed answers and she needed them now.

Harry quickly explained how he had wrote to the bank and had requested information and learned about Grimmauld Place and Kreacher and had called him and the story that Kreacher had told.

"He made a horcrux, Minnie. He put part of his soul in this locket and it is at Grimmauld Place and needs to be destroyed. He isn't gone until that happens! Kreacher can take us there."

Minnie didn't immediately know what a horcrux was but after listening to his description her face had gone white. She had to act quickly and needed Dumbledore. She reasoned that Harry needed to come as well, after all – she didn't think they could get into Grimmauld Place without him, let alone find it quickly with all of the enchantments it was under. It was supposed to be unplottable.

She had to move quickly. The first thing she did was remove her wand that she had stowed and muttered an incantation that Harry wasn't in the right state of mind to discern the actual words. A shimmering silver cat with the slightest hints of blue and white erupted from her wand and turned to face her.

Minnie spoke to it, "find Dumbledore and Severus immediately – tell them time is of the essence and I will be bringing Harry Potter to Hogwarts immediately." It took off into the night.

She looked to Harry and to the house elf. "Now, let's get you something before we go. It will take a few minutes to warn them. The staff is rarely at Hogwarts during the summer."

She conjured a mild calming draught from the Hogwarts infirmary. She gave it to Harry and instructed him to finish it.

He felt loads better. He was still worried, but the edge was taken off. And his mind – and Kaa – was telling him that Minnie was here and it would be OK. 'I did the right thing' he thought.

"Harry you need to instruct your house elf to follow us to Hogwarts. I am taking you there at once to see Headmaster Dumbledore and Severus Snape, a Potions Master and Professor. I will apparate us to Hogwarts and we will get this dealt with immediately. Are you ready?"

Harry nodded. And took several deep breaths.

"Kreacher, follow us to Hogwarts – we are going to try and destroy The Dark Lord and honor those we have lost."

Kreacher now had a mission and purpose again and he stood tall for the first time in many years. Regulus would be avenged! And his new Master had made this possible, and from this point in time on, Harry would have the same reverence in his mind as Regulus.

"Honor for The House of Black and Potter will be restored tonight," he nodded and popped shortly after Minerva disapparated with Harry, leaving a thick taste of Magic in the smallest bedroom of Privet Drive.

Harry struggled to remain on his feet this time and would have fallen over except that Minnie was on the move once they had gotten there. She was leading him forcefully, but not painfully, by the hand through these majestic gates that revealed a magnificent castle on the other side. Harry's breath was taken from him – he was coming to school here? He couldn't wait.

Kreacher had 'popped' right behind them and soon the four of them were making their way across the grounds and over a bridge that spanned a significant chasm.

During their brisk walk, Minnie was trying her best to tell Harry about this or that on the grounds around Hogwarts to try and keep him calm. She told him that she was very proud of him for thinking before acting and for informing her.

They had entered through a large courtyard made of aged stone. Harry wasn't in the right frame of mind to make out too many more details. His brain was primarily at the level were he knew that fires were bad and trees were pretty. They soon arrived at a large entryway where two men were standing.

"Albus, Severus," she nodded briskly. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I brought Harry along as I believe he will be needed before this issue is resolved."

"Harry, this is Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, and your future Potion's Professor, Severus Snape."

"Hello," Harry said weakly.

"Harry, my boy, a pleasure." The exceedingly old wizard extended his hand and Harry shook it timidly. He noticed that Dumbledore was wearing robes with the strangest color patterns he had ever seen. Psychedelic.

"Mr. _Potter_," Snape echoed strangely. No hand was offered.

"Professor," Harry uneasily replied. Snape was dressed all in black and his slick hair hung to his shoulders.

"And this is his house elf, Kreacher, from The House of Black," she pointedly raised her eyebrows at the two men. She had yet to inform them of what had occurred yesterday as she had been busy arranging things with the other muggle-borns and neither Severus nor Dumbledore had been in the castle.

"Fascinating," Dumbledore whispered.

"Kreacher lives to serve The Noble House of Black and Potter," the elf added.

"Kreacher was the one to provide this information." Harry spoke softly.

"I suggest we head to your office, Albus, this is very serious."

Dumbledore was worried but had several suspicions about what this could relate to if Kreacher was the one providing the information. He led them to his office while trying to point several things out to Harry in the hopes of making him feel more secure in these unfamiliar halls. He was disturbed by Minerva's appearance. He reckoned it was the first time he had seen her with her hair down. This was very grave, indeed.

Snape was lost in thought; he had mixed emotions about the Blacks. On one hand, there had been Sirius who had joined together with that blasted Potter to torment the living hell out of him because they thought he was a dark wizard.

'And look at where Sirius was now,' he smirked cruelly.

On the other hand, Regulus had been his first and only love. Lily had helped him come to terms with being a gay wizard. Lily had helped him with many things. Being gay was less of a taboo in the wizarding world than in the muggle world – but only because of the importance to keep your family line going. As long as you had an heir, no one _really_ cared what you did in the bedroom. Besides, there were other ways to have children. They could do Magic, after all. It just wasn't seen as proper to some of the older families.

Regulus and him had developed these feelings towards another at Hogwarts, which was partly why Sirius was so antagonistic towards him; he didn't want Snape to corrupt his younger brother. That was so far from the truth! Regulus, if anything, kept Severus away from some of the darker aspects of Magic. And so did Lily, until he had lost control of his emotions because of James and Sirius and called her something that was unforgivable during a particularly bad time in his life. That had left a huge scar on his heart. The fact that he had indirectly caused her death had left an even bigger one, though he had tried his best to save her once he _knew_.

He was distraught and at that time, as his relationship with Regulus was being tested by their service to The Dark Lord – whom they grew to detest and loathe. They soon learned that what they had signed up for was a lie and were ashamed with what they had done. It was a very deep regret that filled his heart and he had vowed to make things right. They decided to take an unbreakable vow with each other to bring down The Dark Lord from the inside, to redeem themselves. That was when he had contacted Dumbledore, to offer to spy. He told Albus everything. One night, some time after Dumbledore and him had staged the prophecy in The Hogs Head, _everything_ changed.

Regulus had come back to their home distraught and had kissed Severus passionately and they had made love. Regulus told him that he would always love him and that he had found out something about the Dark Lord that needed to be taken care of immediately. He told Snape he would set it right but that he had to go. Regulus had told Snape that no matter what happened he would always love him and that he needed to live, but he disapparated before Severus could stop him. He had never seen him again. Wherever Regulus was going, the vow must have commanded him to act.

And then Lily died. Murdered by The Dark Lord. He _almost_ didn't care that The Dark Lord had died; he didn't even feel the vow lift. His thoughts preoccupied with what he had lost. Severus tried to force himself to live by Regulus' final words… But he was a shell of his former self; He had become hollow.

Coming back to the present, he turned to look at the boy, whose piercing green eyes were just like his mother's and it drove him further into his melancholy. He had wronged this boy's mother, just as his father had wronged him. But Severus would make it right, vow or not.

They arrived in the Headmaster's office and Minerva led Harry to a chair, which Kreacher positioned himself behind, protectively. Minerva took the seat next to Harry while Severus leaned against the wall, wondering if this had anything to do with what Regulus had found out. He had never seen Minerva so on edge. Even Dumbledore looked tense.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk and looked the part of a wise and powerful leader. Harry could see why Minnie had brought him here. He could feel this warmth emanating from him. Little did he know that both Severus and Dumbledore could feel the same coming from him, only stronger.

Snape's face blanched when he saw Kaa stick his head out of his sleeve. Kaa had felt he was among people that would protect Harry and he was very worried about him. He wanted to be closer to him and visibly remind Harry that he was there. Dumbledore noticed Severus' face in regards to the snake and his face hardened; Albus assumed that Severus knew exactly what kind of snake it was and it terrified him. They were both dumbfounded, however, that Minerva's hand was so close to it as if she didn't care. She clearly knew a snake was there.

"Mr. Potter," Snape spoke quietly, fearful that any sudden movement would cause the boy's death.

Harry looked up curiously at the softness in which Snape had spoken his name, his demeanor suddenly very different.

"Are you aware that you have a snake on your arm, a very poisonous and deadly snake?"

Minerva suddenly understood why the mood in the room had changed so drastically. The fact that Harry had a snake was not even among the top 5 things on her list of Harry's top shock-inducing moments. 'These two are in for a doozy,' she thought, briefly forgetting about the reason they were here.

"Oh, you mean Kaa?" Harry looked at Minnie curiously who understood what he was thinking.

"I haven't told them yet Harry, I haven't seen them."

"You knew about this Minerva!" Snape hissed in a low voice. He was shocked! "Do you not know what kind of snake this is?"

Harry looked curiously at the exchange when he noticed that Minerva was now realizing that perhaps something had slipped past her.

"Kaa is an Egyptian Apophis Asp, Professor Snape. I got him yesterday in Diagon Alley." Harry supplied.

"That is very grave news, I'm afraid," Dumbledore spoke up – his hand stroking his white beard contemplatively before he asked. "Harry, why did you get a snake? If I may ask, they aren't the more usual pets."

Severus looked at Albus, his eyes twitching ever so slightly. 'We need to get that snake away from here, not ask the boy why he got it,' Snape thought.

Harry didn't like the idea of someone calling Kaa a pet; he was no such thing. He was his companion; his bonded one, and his friend!

Minerva thought this reaction between Albus and Severus was interesting, but she wanted to get back to what kind of snake Kaa was. She hoped that Harry had been honest about him not being able to bite anyone without his permission.

He looked nervously at Minnie, who nodded for him to continue.

"Because I am a parselmouth and wanted a friend to talk to. I only learned I was able to do this yesterday and who wouldn't want to be able to speak with an animal, "_especially one as noble and wise as this_", he finished as he slipped into parseltongue and rubbed Kaa's head reverently. A pleasing hiss was soon heard.

Snape's eyes were now twitching uncontrollably, and Dumbledore didn't look that far behind him. Well, maybe not pleasing to everyone.

Minerva would have enjoyed this display at any other time but she knew that whatever was causing them to act this way was probably very serious. She had to consciously refrain from moving her hand away from Kaa.

Harry continued, "He bit me -"

Snape stopped breathing.

"- and I named him and we bonded."

Snape made a very weird sound that was half of an uncomfortable laugh and a shocked gasp together.

"You bonded with an Apophis Asp?" he echoed as he felt the sudden need to sit down and slid down the wall.

"I knew he was poisonous and I asked Minnie – Minerva, sorry, and told her that he can't bite anyone unless I tell him too, and that you would make an antidote just in case."

He finished looking at Snape, who was pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed.

Harry could see about the concern over Kaa being venomous but with an antidote and the fact that Kaa wouldn't bite, he felt they were acting overly dramatic. Snakes had a really bad rap in the wizarding world, apparently.

The other three were so lost in thought that they didn't even notice Harry's use of 'Minnie.'

"Harry," Dumbledore joined in this time quietly.

"There is no cure to a bite from an Apophis Asp. There poison is one that kills the soul – there is no coming back from that." He knew of the asp but not what they had looked like.

Minerva gasped.

Harry was stunned. '_did Kaa know his poison could do that_,' he thought unintentionally in parseltongue.

'_Yes, Harry_' – Kaa replied. '_But I told you the truth, we do not like to bite and prefer not to and this way no speaker could command me otherwise. I **know** your soul – you would not ask this of me._'

"Oh," Harry realized with wide eyes – suddenly glad that he did bond with Kaa and feeling slightly honored by his praise.

"Professors, Kaa just told me one of the reasons he wanted to bond with me. This way, another speaker, though I am told they are rare, could not use him for that purpose. He bonded with me because he knew that I would never ask him to do that. He wanted to be protected from someone abusing his power."

That was certainly a good reason and one that everyone in that room understood. Precautions would have to be taken because the snake would simply have to come to Hogwarts because of the bond, but they felt much, much better about it than before.

'_There is one more thing, Harry, that I feel I should tell you. While we have that gift of death – we also have one of life. But can only use it once as it costs us our lives. The Egyptian Sun God, Ra, would protect the sun – his power and soul, the source of light for all life. Every night he would guide the sun under the earth and fought with Apophis, or Apep, a giant serpent that would try and steal this sun from Ra. Every night they would battle and Ra would emerge victorious as he protected the sun and, with that, all life. That legend began because of my kind. We can take the soul from someone, but we can also give it back. But just once, we can bring someone recently killed back to life. I would use this for you, my companion. I fear now that things are changed with this horcrux business and would see you live – if I could help it._'

Tears started flowing from Harry's eyes as he was beyond touched by Kaa's words. Minerva grabbed his shoulder and looked at him concernedly. Harry then relayed what Kaa had just spoken to him to the others while lovingly stroking his scales.

There were tears in everyone's eyes; that was the ultimate gift. Dumbledore and Snape were both glad that Harry had this protection, and hoped it was never needed because Harry would be deprived of someone else who had given their life for him.

They sat in silence for several moments before Severus was drawn out his reverie by remembering they were there for another reason.

"Harry, now that we have dealt with this – though we will have to provide a precaution for those students at Hogwarts, even though… Kaa… would not bite – what information did you have for us?"

"Oh, Voldemort made a horcrux," he deadpanned.

**Let me know what you think: good or bad!**


	6. Kaa's Little Gift

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, I love Snape and want to play with his character a little more. Dumbledore confuses me and I want to explain some of his actions more.

Let me know what you think. I love reviews, especially the ones that provide helpful critiques :)

Posted 2/22/15

**Standard disclaimer about not owning anything! JK I love you.**

Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out of it. He closed it, and then opened it again. He knew that Voldemort was not truly gone because of the prophecy: the _real_ prophecy that he and only he had heard. But this: a horcrux? What was Tom Riddle thinking? He must have misinterpreted something from the ancient texts, or Merlin help them if Tom _had_ anchored his soul to this world using some new Magic of his own creation. Albus assumed that a horcrux would have been beneath him since the part of him not in the horcrux could still die; he wouldn't truly have been immortal because there was no link between the soul in the horcrux and the soul that still resided in Tom's body.

Albus had stopped guessing the various ways in which Voldemort could have extended or protected his life by using various dark rituals because the prophecy had made it clear that he had not been killed that Halloween night. And according to the prophecy that now seemed set in motion, war was coming. This could only mean one thing: Tom Riddle had made one if not more than one horcrux – and it would come back to life. If they failed to destroy this horcrux, then Voldemort could have still created more. But if they did destroy this horcrux, then that meant he had made more than one. He supposed it didn't matter; one way or another The Dark Lord would rise again. But it would be nice to prevent as many from rising as possible.

And Harry Potter was a parselmouth? That was very strange, indeed. Potters were not known to be parselmouths. Where had the ability come from? Had Tom Riddle transferred some of his powers to Harry that night? He had checked the child himself and his scans had revealed that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Harry had a scar, sure – but that was from Lily's protection meeting Voldemort's curse. It was just a residual mark now; it had no special abilities. The Magic she invoked would not have let anything from Voldemort pass into Harry, including parseltongue.

And yet, Harry seemed to embrace his gift; had bonded with an Apophis Asp, even. That was certainly ancient Magic that could tip the scales in the end – the ultimate gift from the prophecy! But that line of thought opened as many questions as it answered. Prophecies were fickle things. He had taken a gamble by tweaking and staging the prophecy; assuming that there was a reason that _he_ had heard it. Prophecies needed to be believed in, and encouraged for them to come to pass. Voldemort needed to be aware of just enough to act and Severus' new status as spy for the light was a perfect opportunity for him to pull this off. Albus had seen a way to end the war, the suffering. And so he took it. When thinking about the greater good of all, what were a few lives lost if millions, no billions were saved? It was a shame that Lily and James had to die, but Harry lived! And seemed to be doing Ok, considering everything.

Dumbledore would have to ensure that Harry was ready for the fight ahead and that he had a support network to help him. It already seemed that Minerva was firmly in his corner, not to mention his companion, Kaa.

He had hoped that Harry would be Ok at the Dursleys. He knew that it was Lily's wish for him to be raised there, as he knew the Magic she would use required the proximity of Petunia's blood to continue to protect Harry should Voldemort have found some unexpected way to survive that night. He had suggested it to her after all. Albus was glad that Harry seemed to have the best of James and Lilly: they boy was incredibly smart like Lilly and had an easy-going and self-assured personality like James.

He wondered if James had left Harry his cloak – that would certainly help to protect him. Albus had been fascinated with that cloak because a true cloak of invisibility was incredibly rare. He had traced it through the Potter's line to Ignotus Peverell. Ignotus had lived hundreds and hundreds of years ago, wielding Magic along with his two brothers that has long since been forgotten.

According to legend, three of their magical creations were the inspiration for the infamous Deathly Hallows – but they weren't gifted by death. One was a true cloak of invisibility that would never fade and had been crafted by Ignotus. Another was the resurrection stone made by Cadmus that could call forth the essence of the dead. It was not necromancy; it was more of an echo of who a person used to be. He had traced that down through the line to Salazar Slytherin who had made it into a ring. The final was a wand with a magical core so rare and powerful that it was hard to beat, and when bested, its allegiance would switch to that witch or wizard. That elder wand now belonged to Albus and he had used it to defend this world from those who would seek to subjugate it to their will.

The Peverells, he thought suddenly! How could he have forgotten that? Harry was related to Salazar, though very, very distantly. Could that be where the Parseltongue came from? Some Magical traits were passed down but only manifested themselves if the wizard or witch's Magic could support it, if they had a strong enough magical core. Could that be the source? There was too much to think about – he may never know.

However, with this stunning revelation that Voldemort had made a horcrux, one thing was certain. The second phase of the prophecy was about to begin…

Snape knew what happened to Regulus. The moment Harry had said 'horcrux,' he knew. He knew because Kreacher was here. And because if Regulus had learned that Voldemort had made a horcrux, the vow would have meant that he had to act. He would have to go after that piece of the Dark Lord's soul and destroy it at any cost. Now it made sense… now… he understood everything.

Regulus didn't tell him where he was going or what he was doing because if he did – then Severus would have had to go with him as well. To ensure that Severus lived, Regulus didn't tell him. And Snape would have done the same, anything for Regulus. He had protected him and had said goodbye. Regulus had tried to give him closure but he had never moved on. He was too stubborn to move on and the only emotion he outwardly showed was in the form of a single tear that fell past his cheek.

Severus closed his eyes and just focused on the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, concentrating on his breathing. Years of practice at being a master Occlumens were put to the test as he cleared his mind to get a handle on everything. He would need his complete mental faculties if they were to go after the horcrux tonight. They couldn't take any chances in not going after it.

The silence continued for quite some time, all of them lost in thought. Snape was thinking of the past, Dumbledore only looked to the future, Minerva was just thinking about when they would destroy the blasted thing already. Kreacher was quite proud of his Regulus and looking at his new Master in awe, while Harry was bonding with Kaa over what his bonded had just offered him. Harry's very soul was touched by the thought – though he had told Kaa that '_in no uncertain terms was he ever to do that for him_'. Kaa had simply replied with, '_we'll see_.'

Harry was the first one to break the silence.

"So how does a horcrux work? How does it keep him living if his soul is contained in this locket at Grimmauld Place?"

Snape answered him, wanting to honor Regulus for what he had done in retrieving the locket from wherever the Dark Lord had secured it. It had no doubt cost him his life.

"A horcrux," he began softly, "is something that you attach a part of your soul to. It keeps the soul in your actual body tethered to this earth. If something should happen to your body, your soul would not die. I believe this means a wraith of Voldemort is out there somewhere. Headmaster?" Albus would surely be an authority on this subject having spent many years pouring over old tomes.

Snape became unsettled when Albus' features had dropped. This was not like the man.

"I am afraid, Severus, that what you have just said is incorrect – and I am afraid that Tom," he looked to Harry, "Voldemort's real name, may have thought the same thing."

He sighed and stood from his desk and walked over to the window behind it looking out over the grounds. When he turned to face them all he both looked and felt his age for the first time. Albus had been thinking about how much to tell them. He had held the cards so close to himself for so long, only trusting himself to lead. Now though, the years were starting to show. He would have to entrust the fate of the world to those in this room. He couldn't think about the greater good of all while thinking himself above it. He was even prepared to lay down his life if need be – if it made the world better. He couldn't sacrifice James and Lilly and all of the others without knowing that his time to be sacrificed would come. He would gladly do it, in fact.

He had made his decision; It was time to let other people share the power. It was time for Albus to trust again.

"A horcrux does indeed house a portion of one's soul; however, it is not attached in any way to your original body. I believe some of the confusion stems from the wording, which was a rough translation of at best: a soul cannot be connected to two things at once, therefore, 'attach a part your soul' should be read as 'halve your soul into two independent forms.' The Voldemort that Harry defeated that night is no more, gone forever."

He came around the front of the desk and sat on the edge facing Harry and Minerva. All eyes were intently focused on his every move.

"A horcrux simply splits your soul in half and if that soul should ever find a body to possess or siphon the strength off of, it could reform into the person it was at that moment when that horcrux was created. It is not a means to immortality but an assurance that part of you could start over, so to speak."

Snape could just stare, unable to process anything.

"This locket, should it have gotten the opportunity, could have seen Tom Riddle reborn to his younger self." He concluded firmly, highlighting the problem they were all facing.

Minerva had been through so many shocking revelations during the past week; she didn't even have it in her to gasp. She just let her mouth hang open, her wild hair framing her face.

Harry's eyes widened. He had kind of figured that something was coming, and luckily the calming draught that Minerva had forced him to chug before they came was still working, helping to take the edge off. And then there was Kaa, providing his own form of support.

'_Let me bite, Harry. Let me at him. I'll kill him_.'

It helped.

But there was more for Albus was not done with what he needed to tell them.

"And if I know Tom, who has always strived to go farther and be better than everyone else… it is likely he has made more than one horcrux."

And this pushed them all over the edge. This was the grave situation they faced – why Albus couldn't go it alone.

It was some time before the silence ended. Each lost in their own thoughts, the impossible task that was before them. How many did Voldemort make and what items did he use to store his soul in? These were the questions that they needed to answer. And they still had to find out where these items were. It was hopeless.

Albus, in this moment, hated his knowledge. For he had more that needed to be said, for them to understand just what they were up against if Tom had made more than one horcrux. While everyone was lost in their thoughts, Dumbledore had used the interlude to calm his nerves and collect himself.

"And now for what worries me the most -"

"What do you mean, Albus, there is more?" Minerva's brogue had broken through.

"What could be worse, Headmaster?" Snape quickly followed.

"The older the horcruxes are, the younger Tom was when he made them. For every horcrux he made, he split his soul in half. The Voldemort that had died that night was his weakest form. His first horcrux, whatever that was, will be the most powerful of all and contain half of his soul. Our only comfort is that his knowledge stored in that soul will be less, far less."

This was the reason why Voldemort had seemed to become more unhinged with each passing year. He had kept dividing his soul in half and over time, he just lost it. This also raised the question about Lily's protection. It would not work against the other Voldemort's for her protection worked only against the soul that she had cast it at. Harry would be very vulnerable – it was good that he had access to Grimmauld Place. He would have to live there now. There was no question about that. Perhaps Remus could move in with him, he would have to bring this up when this horcrux was dealt with.

Dumbledore stood in front of all of them. "I am sharing this information with all of you because I believe the people in this room will be instrumental if we are to triumph over Voldemort."

He looked at each of them in turn, even the elf.

"The fate of the wizarding world _and_ the muggle world hangs in the balance."

He moved to kneel in front of the youngest member of their resistance.

"Harry, I know it isn't fair to put all of this on your shoulders. And there are things I must tell you later, when you can handle them. For right now, I need you to learn Occlumency to protect these secrets from others. Occlumency-"

"Oh! I know about that, Sir. Minerva," he nodded his head in her direction, "gave me a few books about it as a birthday present. She said she would tell me everything but needed me to be able to protect this information as well."

Minerva gazed at Dumbledore, daring him to scold her when he had just done the same thing. She would not lie to the boy and would not be made to feel like she had done something wrong.

Dumbledore truly smiled at her. If he didn't make it to the end, Harry would have someone in his corner that understood what was at risk, someone who would try to protect both him and the knowledge to the very end. He also knew that Minerva was innocent in his instigation of the prophecy and the cause of the deaths of Lily and James. Dumbledore would pay for his sins, and was glad that Minerva was there – Harry may never forgive him, but he wouldn't have to forgive her.

And he would tell Harry the true prophecy when he had learned Occlumency – and he had already ensured he would learn it should Albus die. He would have to face what he had done and just hope that Harry could understand why he had done anything. But he wouldn't ask for forgiveness.

"Minerva, you did the right thing. And for that, I am glad. Harry needs you, and Severus," he motioned to Snape who nodded at the boy.

Snape had already made up his mind. If Voldemort had made more horcruxes, it didn't matter that he was still under the vow; he was committed. He felt like he was being given a second chance with Lily by protecting her son. And he would protect Harry, with everything he had.

"We are all a team now. And now, Kreacher-"

The elf peered from behind Harry's chair and made his way to stand by Harry's side. Harry could sense how out of place the elf was feeling – perhaps it was how the elf was bound to him. Harry put his hand on Kreacher's shoulder, which caused him to flinch slightly.

"It's Ok, Kreacher, I think Headmaster Dumbledore would like to hear about this locket. If we are to destroy it, we need to know what we are up against. For Regulus," Harry added.

He saw a bit of himself in the elf. 'Suddenly being put in a situation that made you feel like a fish out of water would be unnerving for anyone,' Harry though. He would try and be there for his elf, the way that Minerva and Kaa were there for him.

Severus noted the way in which Harry had said Regulus' name as if it were holy, sacred.

"Yes, Harry." The elf took a deep breath; he would never forget that night that they had retrieved the horcrux and didn't need to take much time to begin his tale.

"One night, Regulus came to Kreacher, saying that The Dark Lord required a house elf. Regulus asked Kreacher if he would help to defeat The Dark Lord with him. Regulus had told Kreacher all of the horrible things that had been happening because of Voldemort and that he wanted to stop him. How could Kreacher say no to that? Kreacher would do anything for Regulus, bond or no bond. The Dark Lord took Kreacher to this cave by the ocean. It was well protected and The Dark Lord cast many enchantments and within this cave was a lake with an island of rock in the center. The lake's bottom was filled with inferi, but Kreacher didn't know this at the time. The Dark Lord wanted to test his protections, so he made Kreacher drink this awful substance on the island. Made Kreacher relive his very worst fears. The Dark Lord laughed at Kreacher, 'how pathetic,' he had called him.

The Dark Lord dropped this locket in a basin and filled it with more liquid. Then The Dark Lord left to leave Kreacher on that island – sure that the drink would kill him or the army of inferi that were ascending from their watery graves would finish him off. But Regulus had given Kreacher a way out. We had arranged this before hand, should The Dark Lord strand Kreacher. Kreacher had been instructed to return home if and only if certain conditions were met. Kreacher came to Regulus and was better because he had been ordered to become better. As Kreacher cannot disobey the commands of his Master if he is able, Kreacher's Magic neutralized that poison. Kreacher told Regulus all about what had happened in the cave. Regulus knew what the potion was. Told Kreacher it was very rare and very difficult to produce. But as long as the potion was drunk near the source, the drinker would relive their worst fears. Dementor's blood it was and was far more potent than just being in their presence. The Dark Lord had chained a Dementor to the ceiling right above the basin and charmed the liquid so that the locket could be removed only if all of the liquid had been drunk."

The elf paused. The next part was the hardest.

"Regulus asked Kreacher everything he could remember about the locket. Kreacher told him that it was dark Magic – an abomination. Kreacher could feel the bit of soul in it, but did not know what it was. Kreacher told Regulus what he had felt… Regulus looked triumphant for a moment and then looked like all life had been taken from his eyes.

Kreacher asked Regulus what was wrong and Regulus told him that he needed a few hours but that he wanted Kreacher to be ready to take him back to that cave when he returned. Kreacher pleaded with Regulus – asking him not to go back. Regulus ordered it. Saying our lives were worth that of The Dark Lord's soul. He said he needed to say goodbye to someone, told me to not say a word to anyone, and left. When -"

Kreacher was interrupted by Snape falling to the floor, as Severus' legs were unable to support him anymore. Tears were flowing freely from his eyes. Nobody knew what to do.

Severus channeled some of Regulus' bravery. It was time that the others knew about Him and Regulus. If Regulus was brave enough to die for The Dark Lord. Severus would honor that among those he counted as friends.

"Regulus came to say goodbye to me… We had made an unbreakable vow to do anything in our power to destroy The Dark Lord to make up for our sins."

He looked at Harry who he had locked eyes with, unable to focus on anything else.

Harry knew that Severus must had done something bad, something unforgivable, to look at him like that. But Harry didn't care about that – he couldn't. This man was breaking in front of him. Whatever he did, he had made up for it. When Harry found out, he would remember this. He had already forgiven Snape and could see that he had more than atoned for his sin by what he had lost.

"What is an unbreakable vow?" Harry said softly, suspecting that if Magic was involved it was very serious.

Dumbledore was the only one in the proper frame of mind to answer.

"An unbreakable vow is ancient Magic, Harry. It is a promise that if broken causes death to the one that made it. It is very serious and not to be taken lightly. I suspect that is why Regulus acted the way he did that night?" His attention finished on Snape.

Snape nodded slowly as Harry closed his eyes. What had Snape done that he was willing to repent for with his own death? He had to have been truly sorry. It only made his position on forgiving Snape stronger. He could see that Snape had tried, had felt it in his eyes. Snape was trying to do the right thing and Harry silently gave him his respect.

"Kreacher, I don't want to know the rest – I can't. Regulus obviously got it if it is at Grimmauld Place. I just wish to destroy it, for him." Snape put his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

Kreacher looked at Harry as if he really needed to say something and needed permission to finish speaking.

"Speak Kreacher, what do you want to say? Is it important? Perhaps you should tell me first," Harry said cautiously. He hoped that it would help Severus. He could see that he was in pain, they all could.

Kreacher nodded and went over to Harry and whispered what he wanted to say in his ears. Harry knew that Snape _needed_ to hear this.

"Professor Snape… I-I think you should hear this." Harry said solemnly.

Snape opened his eyes and once again locked eyes with Harry and nodded ever so slightly. There had been sorrow in those green orbs. Kreacher went over to stand in front of Snape. Harry moved over to the Potions Professor as well and reached out tentatively for his hand. He had gotten so much support lately that he just knew, when he had looked into Snape's eyes, that he would need support as well. Snape responded to Harry's touch and closed his hand around his. There were no tears left for him to cry. Minerva's heart was bursting at the scene. She would never have thought the scene in front of her was possible.

"Kreacher knows what Regulus said after he drunk the potion. What he told Kreacher at the end, before he ordered Kreacher away, before the Dementor's blood claimed him. Regulus said he was happy, happy to have known love, because he didn't fear death because his 'sevy' would always be with him. And he would always watch over his 'sevy.'"

Harry's hand was being squeezed tightly but that was the only reaction from Snape.

That was the only reaction from anyone. Minerva had long since given away to tears and sniffling, but Dumbledore could only feel hope. He felt bad for Snape, truly, but he looked around the room and felt hope. He had been wrong to keep secrets and hadn't trusted anyone since his friend Grindlewald had used him to further his own plans. Now he had people around him that he should have been honest with all along - people that he should have trusted more. He would strive to make things different.

More time passed in silence though the mood had changed considerably. Snape was a wreck, but you could see a small change from Kreacher's words. A small fire had been lit from behind his eyes, his very being, that would give him the strength to continue what Regulus had started. He didn't need the vow to act anymore; he had Regulus' words to drive him. He had Regulus to honor.

Dumbledore roused them out of their stupor, drawing their attention back to the immediate issue at hand: they had a horcrux to destroy. He would have recommended that they researched its protections, but that was something Regulus had most likely already done in dealing with the cave, inferi, and Dementor's blood; however, they would still be cautious. Only two things were known to destroy a horcrux: fiendfyre and the venom of a basilisk. But he wagered that Kaa's venom would also suffice. If his bite could claim a soul, surely that would work on a horcrux. It didn't hurt to try. Apophis Asps were so rare that it was likely this had ever been tried before.

"Now, we should deal with this locket at Grimmauld Place. Kreacher, I would suggest that you go and retrieve the locket but I want to be cautious with this. Therefore, we will all be going to Grimmauld Place. Kreacher can take Harry and we can follow them. I suggest that we walk outside the gates and meet outside of Grimmauld Place. Kreacher, what does Harry have to do to gain entry?"

"Master Harry will need to prick his blood once and rub it on the fence and then the property will appear and we can go inside. The locket is in a cupboard that Kreacher put it in when he couldn't destroy it. Because Kreacher didn't know how."

Dumbledore nodded and looked to Harry and Kaa.

"Harry, I only know two ways to destroy a horcrux, but I think Kaa's venom from his bite would also work. He would most likely have to bite the locket and kill the soul that resides in it. How does he feel about that?" Dumbledore had always thought of the greater good, and now, he realized that he couldn't control people as if they were chess pieces. They were not his to command. He could offer his input and suggestions but nothing more. He had to change going forward or he would be just as bad as Voldemort. Though his intentions were good, he had been going about things the wrong way.

Harry relayed the message to Kaa.

'_Of course I will bite that abomination. I would do anything to protect you_.'

Kaa reared his head and looked at Harry and fake bit the air to practice what he would do on the locket. He then made a face of pure disgust.

'_Though, I doubt the inside will taste pleasant – perhaps some mice after this would be nice._'

Harry laughed, which was particularly strange given the situation. Kaa had a strange way of diffusing tension from him. It worked though.

"He will be more than happy to try biting the locket, Headmaster. Though he does ask for mice when he is finished – he doesn't think he will like the taste of the locket," Harry said with a dry sense of humor. He was still chuckling at Voldemort's soul being referenced to like the filling of some food.

This caused some of the tension to leave the room and light chuckles were heard from Minnie and Snape. It was exactly what was needed to prepare them for what was coming.

"We should get going then, we don't want to be out all night."

Dumbledore led them through the castle and out into the night. It was getting rather late, however, he wouldn't take a chance with letting a known horcrux survive another minute. It wasn't a school night and they could all adjust their schedules tomorrow. Besides, Harry could get acquainted with Grimmauld Place and perhaps spend the night there. It would certainly give Albus an opening for the conversation about his protection.

They went through the gates that signaled the end of the wards around the school and Harry went over to Kreacher and held out his hand, before Kreacher grabbed it and popped them to Grimmauld Place. The others soon followed.

The street was empty when they walked out from the secluded park that was across from the impressive and well-maintained homes. Harry noticed that the street practically screamed wealth. All of the townhomes were huge three or four story single-family homes. He didn't think it would be this big and now he owned one of them. Kreacher led them to a section that was right between the markers for 11 and 13 Grimmauld Place and instructed Harry to prick his finger on a specific spoke of the fence. Harry did as he was instructed and the moment his blood touched the metal, he had felt a pulse of energy he had since come to associate with his Magic.

He could almost see the ripples as it sped towards the wall between 11 and 13 Grimmauld Place. Harry watched with an awed expression, as the wall seemed to expand in front of his very eyes. It felt like the entire street was being stretched to accommodate another townhome that was more than twice as big as any of the others. It seemed that perhaps three townhouses had been combined into one. Magic was truly and utterly a glorious thing.

The others didn't seem to be that fazed with what had just occurred. Kreacher led them up to the door and instructed Harry to open the door as the House had sealed itself and would only open to The Black Heir. Another pulse of energy was felt that came from the very center of the house and responded to Harry's touch, allowing him to open the door and provide entry to the others. Harry noticed that opening the door had also healed the prick on his finger. He was amazed at everything that Magic could do, big or small.

He asked Severus if all wizarding homes were like this as he described what he had felt. Severus had said that few homes were left that had wards and defenses such as these because the knowledge of how to cast them had been lost over time. He assured Harry that Grimmauld Place was very unique and that he would tell him all that Regulus had told him about it. It wasn't as hard for Severus to enter the home for the first time since Regulus' death as he thought it would be, but it still took some effort to pass the threshold. He did wonder what had happened to Regulus' old room. Perhaps he would look after they finished their task.

Once inside, Kreacher did his best to tidy up what he could and turn some of the lights on, while Harry was left just a bit confused. Kreacher had said that the house had been neglected but besides from a little dust here and there, it looked magnificent. They were in a large parlor with a grand staircase on the right that ascended up to the second story and then kept spiraling up to the fourth floor. Straight ahead was a grand ballroom that took up much of the first floor space in an elegant open-concept design. Magnificent ivory pillars trimmed with gold supported the floors above them. To the left of the entryway included a pair of portraits whom Kreacher had identified as Orion and Walburga Black, the last Lord and Lady of the House of Black. Walburga immediately began to screech at the intrusion.

"Who dares besmirch the house of my fathers with their unclean blood? Be warned, this house has wards that can kill those forcing entry!"

She paused when she spotted Kreacher among them before turning up the volume of her wailing.

"Kreacher, how dare you bring people into this house. You will make them leave or I will -"

"Mistress Walburga will be quiet now, Kreacher says. Kreacher has a new Master, Master Harry – the Heir of the House of Black and Potters and he will rid the world of Voldemort and avenge Master Regulus!" The elf was shaking his finger menacingly at the portrait.

'Go Kreacher', Harry thought.

"Who is this heir? I demand to see him."

Everyone looked to Harry who gulped. Kaa told him to be strong and be forceful and that he had nothing to prove. He was the heir and the Magic of the house had accepted it.

"I am Harry Potter, Heir of the Houses of Black and Potter. I will unite these houses to become what they once were and honor the family members that both houses have lost. For some have given their lives to stop Voldemort, and we are here to carry on their work."

"You are nothing but a filthy half-blood and a disgrace to the name of Black and unworthy to be heir!"

Minerva practically had steam blowing out of here ears and Snape was seeing red at that insult to Lily.

Kaa was enraged after hearing what she had said to Harry and was spurred to action. He slithered from Harry's wrist down his body and to the floor and started to grow. Everyone in the room felt a thick and terrifying ripple of Magic as Kaa grew from one meter to over ten meters in length and his girth was now the width of Harry Himself. He had coiled loosely and protective around his bonded and stared at the shocked face of Walburga as he hissed ominously while baring his fangs.

Harry felt Kaa's powerful use of Magic from their mental and physical connection as his whole body reacted to the powerful surge that danced along his skin, causing his hair to stand on end. The lights in the house dimmed and an otherworldly emerald-colored glow illuminated the entire room. Both Kaa and Harry seemed to sparkle at that moment before Kaa shrunk down to size and recoiled around Harry's wrist again quite content with the statement he had just made.

The lights came back up and the ominous glow dissipated.

Harry hissed at his companion, "_Are you OK, Kaa? What happened_? _That was exhilarating but tiring_! _How did you get that big_?"

Walburga's mouth was as wide as it could possibly be, while Orion was almost gleeful at the display of power from the boy. He had loved all forms of Magic and didn't even care how the boy had come to inherit his House. Besides, he knew that the boy had to have had some Black Blood in him or he couldn't have inherited his title of Heir. It was Old Magic that oversaw inheritance. He would make a fine Heir and serve as a warning to those looking to defeat their house.

"_That was my true form, Harry; the form in which I can take or give a soul. It requires a lot of power to sustain and I need to recharge if I am to use it against the horcrux. It is far easier to do so if bonded, as I can draw on your power as well. However, I wanted that wailing cow to shut up with her insults_."

Walburga moved to amend her rash and insulting actions. There was one thing that she respected more than blood-purity and that was power. She was slow to realize that Harry would have had to have Black Blood to be an Heir and needed to swallow her pride.

"My Lord, my apologies," she said meekly, still stunned at his display. She couldn't even process that he was a parselmouth.

"You are a fine heir and I acted disgracefully. I will help you restore both Ancient and Noble Houses in any way I can. I regret my actions and await your punishment."

Even though, she was a picture, she could still _feel_ pain and could always be stored by herself in a dark room, forced into solitude.

Harry and Kaa discussed her apology while Dumbledore, Snape, and Minerva wanted to see what Harry would do. They were shocked by that display of power and had felt it brush up against them. It made them feel protected and safe as Kaa was defending Harry and it showed. They didn't want to know what Walburga had been made to feel, they were sure it was the complete opposite of what they had felt.

Kaa didn't like the woman but thought she could be useful, and she was family. He would be keeping a close eye on her, however. His vote was for accepting the apology, for now.

"Walburga, I can understand your position on wanting to protect the House of your Fathers but I will not tolerate any slight against my mother for her blood. She was brave and powerful and full of love. She defended me from Voldemort. She and Regulus will be honored going forward as the Houses of Potter and Black will unite to rid the world of that abomination. And it will begin now as we seek to destroy his horcrux."

That got a reaction from both Walburga and Orion that time.

The Blacks were well versed in the dark arts and their library contained ancient tomes full of Magic that had passed from knowledge. Walburga knew that a horcrux was a form of Soul Magic, but didn't know much more. Orion thought it was what Snape had described, but Dumbledore corrected him as well. Walburga and Orion were livid that they had ever followed that mad man after hearing what he had done to his own soul. Both had agreed with the man in the beginning but as time went on, his policies stopped making sense and they had tried to get out. They had remained inside Grimmauld Place after Regulus had gone missing, hoping that the protections here were enough. They had lost family to that man and family was everything to a Black.

Orion spoke, "he made a horcrux? And it's here? A part of The Dark Lord's younger self survives?"

Dumbledore spoke up now. "We believe he made more than one."

"An abomination," Walburga uttered with a horrified gasp.

"What can we do?" Orion looked across the faces of the adults present.

Snape moved forward to speak.

"There is a horcrux here – retrieved by Regulus and Kreacher. We seek to destroy it for good."

Dumbledore moved forward as well to stand behind Harry. He might as well take advantage of the current conversation and suggest the boy stay here -

"Harry starts Hogwarts in a month and will need to be educated as best he can. He needs to learn Occlumency and learn about the Wizarding World. I believe he could also start working on his Magic, especially if he is to come of age at 14 being an heir. I believe these wards do not detect underage Magic?"

Orion and Walburga nodded in confirmation that the trace did not work here. Black children were always taught Magic from an early age – though most children's cores were not stable enough until age 11 to really perform much Magic. Hogwarts did have a reason for starting when it did.

"Headmaster?" Harry questioned.

"If I leave Privet Drive, will my mother's protection fail? Aunt Petunia said that Mum had wrote her and said that her family would be protected if I lived there."

Dumbledore sighed and knelt down to Harry's level.

"I am afraid that your mother's protection worked only against that part of Voldemort that is now gone – it was only directed to that soul, not the others that may exist. You would have no protection there."

"Oh – I guess it would make sense if I moved in here then." He paused to contemplate things. It was such a big house for just one person – would they really let him live by himself?

"Would I live here alone? I would say The Dursleys could move in but I know they wouldn't – I don't want them to be unprotected though." Harry knew that Petunia would never move into a wizard's home. Maybe there were some charms that could be cast – if Voldemort did come back, he wanted to make sure they would be safe.

"I think you are right with The Dursleys not wanting to move in and we could cast a few protective charms around their home. Nothing as good as what Lily did but something."

Dumbledore was amazed that Harry had thought of Petunia in all of this and the protection she too would also lose. Harry was so like Lilly in that regard.

"But you wouldn't be here by yourself if you didn't want to be. Maybe Remus could come live with you, he was your dad's friend growing up. He teaches at Hogwarts now, in fact." Dumbledore supplied.

"Oh, Moony! I know a little about him. There was a note in my vault that mentioned him… Would he want to though?"

"I think he would be overjoyed with that. He was very close to your parents. What happened to them and to you affected him pretty significantly. He wanted to wait until you were older before meeting you. Given the circumstances, he thought it would be easier if he waited until Hogwarts. But we can talk about this later, after our job here is done."

Dumbledore smiled at Harry who seemed to be thinking about a lot of things.

'Remus would be brought into the fold as well,' Dumbledore thought. It will be good for Remus to get to know Harry again; perhaps it will help him heal. There was not a day that went by without Dumbledore feeling guilty for what he had done, the deaths he had caused. Perhaps he was not fit to lead anything if these were the choices that he made. He would never be able to atone for what he did, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

Severus interrupted by turning to the portraits and asking them to watch over the boy if they were ever not there. They were bound to serve the current Lord from what Regulus had told him.

"And we will help prepare him for the future and teach him all we know" Orion had said while Walburga nodded.

"Perhaps not _all_ that you know," Minerva spoke up with a raised eyebrow. "The Blacks have a rather dark past, after all."

"Quite right, Minerva. But for now, let us remove one horcrux from this world." Dumbledore turned to Kreacher and asked him to lead the way.

They left Orion and Walburga who were now talking heatedly amongst themselves over what the future would hold and what to teach Harry. They would use all of their resources in protecting their House and Heir.

Kreacher led them up the stairs pointing out the heads of his ancestors that were housed on the wall. Harry shook his head and moved on. On the second floor was a magnificent dining room and kitchen that had more of those magnificent pillars supporting the upper floors. There was also a large sitting room with a marble fireplace in black onyx with the words, "_Toujours pur,_" in a fine gold script above it. Harry asked what it meant and he didn't like what he heard. He asked why The Blacks had continued to live in a muggle neighborhood if some members had despised them so much.

"They were also very stubborn, Harry. They wouldn't move because they had been here for hundreds of years." Dumbledore supplied.

He instructed Kreacher to make it "always pure in spirit," a way to unite both houses. He was told by Dumbledore that would be, "_toujours pur de l'esprit_." He liked that very much indeed.

The third floor housed the library and another set of living rooms and private studies. The fourth floor was where the bedrooms were located. Harry asked if there was a basement.

Kreacher nodded and said that there were dungeons as well as a potions room that had stores of rare ingredients collected over the years. Severus thought back to the many late nights that he and Regulus had spent down there.

Kreacher showed them to a large study that had a small fireplace and windows that looked out over the same park that they had apparated to earlier. There was a large dark brown desk with a bookshelf behind it and two leather chairs in front of it. There was an open area immediately upon entering the room that stretched until the desk. This must have been where all of the business was done. There was a medium size cabinet to the right of the desk. He was told it was for the use of The Head of House where important family things were stored and where Kreacher had placed the horcrux.

Kreacher was carefully leading the way and everyone had his or her wands out. Except for Harry – it was in his bag with his cloak; Kaa was his weapon for the moment, as he didn't know any spells and his wand would be more useful as something to throw. His snake was perched on his wrist, ready to act and transform in a moment's notice.

Kreacher directed Dumbledore who was leading the group over to this cabinet and with a snap of his fingers it opened.

Dumbledore carefully cast some charms on the locket to see if there were any curses or protective enchantments. Satisfied that there was nothing he could detect, he motioned for the others to direct their attention to him.

"Ok, Harry, I am going to levitate this locket into the center of the room and I would like Severus and Minerva to stand on either side of him."

He motioned to them and they immediately nodded.

"Just in case something happens, I want to be prepared. Harry, I would like you to be by the door and in the event that something happens, you are to turn around and run as fast as you can. Can you do that?"

"I will, Professor, as fast as I can." Harry acknowledged the serious question with a serious response. He was mentally preparing himself for what was about to happen.

"And you should tell Kreacher to remain by your side and he can 'pop' you to somewhere safe if need be. I do not know what to expect."

Kreacher moved to Harry's side in order to respond quicker.

When the others were in place, Dumbledore levitated the locket into the center of the room and set it carefully on the floor. It had a snake on the front of it and everyone could see the rubies the snake had for eyes. This was Salazar Slytherin's locket and it was supposed to be enchanted. Tom Riddle had made this into a horcrux! It was thought to have been in the possession of The Gaunts, the descendants of Slytherin! Gaunts. Riddle. That seemed to jog something in his memory now that he was thinking about them side-by-side. He would have to think on this later.

Dumbledore told Harry to be ready and that he was going to try and open the locket magically since the locket was enchanted and the horcrux needed to be exposed from its protective casing. The moment his wand cast the spell, a bright red light pulsed from the locket and knocked everyone to the floor.

He knew immediately that something was not right. Harry had not been affected as the others were and had begun to walk towards the locket and before Minerva or Snape could stop him a wall of shimmering, crimson light had trapped Harry within a magical sphere that contained the locket. No spell that they attempted to cast could penetrate it.

Harry had heard the most enchanting sound when that bright red light had pulsed; he didn't even realize it was in parseltongue. Kaa was being called to the powerful locket as well and before he knew it a red wall of energy had separated them from the others. But still they did not care, inching ever closer to the locket. It was beckoning him to open it, to peer inside.

"_Open_," Harry hissed.

A bright red light pulsed through the room, sending everyone crashing into the walls. Harry had snapped out of his trance and was immediately terrified that an unknown and menacing magical pressure was suddenly surrounding him. He didn't know what was happening. Kaa was hissing his displeasure at the unwelcome sensation.

A ghostly form of Tom Riddle appeared above the locket and laughed mercilessly.

"And what's this?" He taunted, "A speaker. I shall be glad to possess you and become free!"

Harry's eyes had widened in fear, the voice from his dreams now made flesh and coming for him. Kaa was not about to let anything happen to Harry though and grew to his true size to surround Harry and hiss obscenities at the wraith.

A brilliant green light surged forth to battle the red for dominance and neither Dumbledore, Snape, or Minerva could see much through the clashing of the colors.

"You shall not harm my companion," Kaa roared as his fangs sunk into Tom's shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. Kaa was intent on using his gift of death to suck the very essence out of this monster's soul.

Harry was trying to support Kaa's second form with as much power as he could give him, focusing with all of his might on willing the source of his Magic to help Kaa succeed.

The colors that had been fighting for dominance suddenly began to change for the others in the room as the green started to outshine the dimming red. And soon the only light that shown was a pulsing emerald green; however it too was soon diminished.

Harry and a smaller Kaa were both lying on the ground, unconscious. Minerva was the first to get to Harry, screaming his name.

Snape arrived seconds later and began tending to Kaa, though his thoughts were centered on the boy. Dumbledore's wand was moving at a dizzying speed trying to analyze the situation and see if he could detect the presence of Tom or if his soul had been destroyed.

"They did it," he said as he slumped to the floor.

"How is Harry?" He asked concernedly, shocked at what had happened. He had honestly thought this process would have been easier. He was scared to have almost lost Harry to the one person he was trying his best to protect him from.

"Ennervate," Minnie spoke hurriedly. Her mind was focused on Harry and only Harry. She would not lose him.

A small murmur was heard coming from the boy's lips as he moved his hand subconsciously to search for Kaa, becoming still only when it found its target. The warmth of the connection was immediate and Kaa slowly slithered his way to rest on Harry's arm. They were both completely and utterly spent. It had been far harder sustaining Kaa's second form when battling the soul of The Dark Lord.

Snape pulled a vial from his robes and forced Harry to sip. It was a mild restorative potion that would give him back some of his strength. He suspected that Harry was suffering from magical exhaustion. He would need to eat something substantial and get a good night's sleep to recover. Magic literally took energy for casting and that energy was supplied by a healthy intake of food.

"You had us worried, Harry" Snape spoke. His hand was absentmindedly running through the boy's hair. That was too close for his liking. They should have expected it wouldn't have been so easy. They had mistakenly thought that Regulus had broken all of The Dark Lord's protective enchantments.

"What Happened?" Harry asked a little groggily. "Did we get it? Did we win?"

"We got it, Harry," Snape responded.

"Good. Alright. Good" Harry mumbled, suddenly aware of how famished he was. "Have you guys ever tried shawarma? I don't know what it is, but I want to try it."

**The Avengers is one of my favorite movies and that line from Iron Man just cracks me up every time. I think Harry is a little shocked with his near death experience and I am trying to inject humor in some places.**

**Let me know what you think: good or bad! And thank you for reading!**


	7. Letters From The Past

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, I wanted to give Harry a little breather since I realize the previous days have been action-packed. This chapter serves to get him settled into Grimmauld Place and goes right up to The Hogwarts Express. It wasn't the easiest to write, even with several re-writes :(.

Let me know what you think. I love reviews, especially the ones that provide helpful critiques :)

Posted 2/28/15

**Standard disclaimer about not owning anything! JK I love you.**

The next week had been a welcome change of pace for Harry. After the encounter with Voldemort's soul, Dumbledore had gotten the house elves of Hogwarts to whip up a midnight snack for them since the kitchen at Grimmauld Place needed to be restocked. Harry had then eaten a substantial amount of food before passing out again for the night.

Snape had volunteered to spend the night with him and had carried him up to the master bedroom and tucked both him and Kaa into bed.

Afterwards, when the others had left and Harry was sound asleep, he bravely entered Regulus' old room. He was going to finally make his peace with Regulus' passing after finding out everything that had happened. He couldn't be beholden to the past anymore and that living how he had been wasn't honoring Regulus' memory or sacrifice that ensured he kept living. Snape would have to take one day at a time and knew that it wouldn't happen overnight but each day would get a little bit easier to come out of the shadow he had been living under. As he closed his eyes on Regulus' newly cleaned pillow he felt a spark that he hadn't felt in a long time: hope.

Minerva and Dumbledore had returned to Hogwarts but had come back the next day to work out a schedule in order to have at least one adult stay with Harry at all times until something more permanent could be worked out. Remus would be returning from his holiday soon and it was expected that he would remain with Harry, if everything worked out, until the end of the summer.

Kreacher had been given the task of restocking the kitchen and helping Harry to remodel his bedroom. One of the bigger changes he had requested besides changing some of the décor was enlarging the window that overlooked the park. He had been mesmerized when Kreacher had used his Magic – and Sirius' gold – to make the requested changes. Kreacher just seemed to snap his fingers and the changes were made. Draining Sirius' account was the one source of money that Harry had no problem spending and had told Kreacher to take all of the gold out of that vault for upkeep and whatever else was needed for their home.

In the meantime, Harry had moved his stuff out of the Dursleys and had said goodbye to Petunia and the rest of the family. He told her that he would stay in touch but it was probably safer, without going into all of the details, if he lived away from them and minimized contact. However, he was adamant that he didn't want to put her and her family in harms way. She had reluctantly agreed to have some protective charms being cast on her home because Harry had been quite insistent on this matter.

Hedwig had been brought over from the Dursleys as she had returned there after warning Minnie about the horcrux, knowing that Harry would return eventually. Also, his owl couldn't get past the wards of Grimmauld Place without first being brought there by Harry. Snape had informed him that a very powerful anti-owl ward had been erected over Grimmauld Place that redirected all owls away and should be taken down and repurposed. His future potions professor had told him that a weaker anti-owl ward should then be cast to keep out unknown correspondence but with all of the other wards that had surrounded the place, nothing nefarious would ever be able to get in.

Harry had set up a perch for his snowy owl in his bedroom and had gotten Snape to charm an owl flap in the newly enlarged window so that she could come and go as she pleased. It looked just like glass and functioned just like a barrier to the outside, except it was enchanted to let only the owl pass right through it.

Orion and Walburga had taken to teaching Harry Occlumency whenever Snape was unavailable and restocking the potion labs at Hogwarts for the new year. The former Lord and Lady Black had explained to him that learning the defensive mind art would provide a way for him to guard his mind if someone were to ever force their way in or surreptitiously invade. Harry would be able to keep his thoughts private and be able to be told the sensitive information that the others had mentioned. Harry was also looking forward to some of the added benefits of learning Occlumency though he wondered how much better his memory could get. The most difficult part of the process for him was learning how to clear his mind – something that Harry had never been particularly good at. He was always thinking about something and most of his tutelage so far had been quite repetitive and boring because he wasn't able to move on to the next stage of training until he had this down.

Harry had spent most of his free time reading some of his course books and transforming the master bedroom into something that was more to his taste. He had also gotten a thorough tour of Grimmauld Place from Kreacher and had discovered a vault in the basement that Walburga and Orion had used to store some of their gold from Gringotts as they had lived the last years before they had died in isolation. Given the protections that Grimmauld Place had had on it, the vault had been almost as secure as the ones at Gringotts. Harry was shocked to discover some 50,000 galleons and mounds of sickles and knuts. Walburga had described it as pocket change.

In fact, Walburga had been quite insistent on spending an entire afternoon going through the house with him from portrait to portrait pointing out the history –and cost – of every little thing. He had paid more attention to her narrative of what the artifacts and heirlooms had been through or represented and found it fascinating that some were hundreds and hundreds of years old. She had also filled him in on the storied history of their house and various wizarding customs she thought he should be aware of as they moved from room to room. It had been a tiring but illuminating event.

Harry had been shocked by the amount of wealth that was on display once he knew how much the various trinkets were actually worth. He reckoned that there was more money in this place than gold that he possessed in all of vaults at Gringotts, combined. For instance, everything that he had thought had been trimmed in a golden color turned out to be 24 carat gold, which was pretty much evident now on every wall and column. And the handrail on the staircase that he thought was just gold-platted turned out to be solid 24k gold as well. Then, there was the multitude of large, colorful stones that decorated the mirrors and adorned various portrait frames and a part of even some of the furniture. Those turned out be rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and even diamonds! He wasn't even going to mention the jewelry that he had stumbled upon in the vault because there were crowns and tiaras and his mind couldn't process the rest.

Harry didn't think he would ever get used to his newfound wealth, nor the wealth that was obviously and proudly on display around him.

Aside from spending time with Walburga, Orion had taught him what was expected of him now that he was the head of an Ancient and Noble House. Orion had directed him to the study where Voldemort's soul had been defeated on one afternoon and they had spent the entire time talking in depth about his responsibilities. He had given Harry invaluable instruction on how to comport oneself in various situations that he could expect to find himself in. Harry was quite thankful for this lesson, as he was nervous of what would be required of him at Hogwarts and the wizarding world in general. Harry didn't like feeling that he had all of these expectations suddenly hoisted upon his shoulders and was somewhat relieved that he would at least know how to act, but would have preferred not having to deal with them in the first place. He had voiced some of these concerns to Orion and had found him a very easy person to talk to and one who provided very honest answers. They were fast developing a grandparent/grandchild relationship and Harry was eating it up.

The former family patriarch had told Harry that the most important thing that he would have to keep in mind, and that was to make sure that he was honest with himself. Orion told Harry that it was of paramount importance to know one's own capabilities. An heir, and most importantly, a Lord, needed to know in which areas he excelled, and which areas he was not as strong in. Orion had explained that a leader needed to have confidence in himself before anything else – because if a leader didn't have faith in his own abilities, how could he or she ask others to follow him? Harry really enjoyed his time with Orion and thought he was the perfect elder statesman. In a way, it was like gaining a Grandfather. Something that he may have slipped into the conversation once or twice, and something that Orion had chuckled at and encouraged.

Harry had been given loads to think about and, quite frankly, _most_ of it made sense. It helped Harry and gave him the strength and reassurance to not break under the pressure of all of these added responsibilities. Orion had been very impressed with how Harry was coping with all of this information and told him that all he could do was to take it one day at a time. He had even told Harry that he should wear the heir ring – which had a few ingenious protections.

The first added benefit was that it could act as an emergency portkey. It would return him to Grimmauld Place should he ever find himself in danger. It was a safeguard that old families had used to protect their heirs hundreds of years ago. Wearing them had subsequently gone out of style as very few rings remained as the old families and their magical secrets had died out and newer families had emerged that had been unaware and thus unable to use one. Newer ministry regulations had prevented the use of unauthorized portkeys but had allowed the use of those already in existence, grandfathering them in so to speak. He was told how to activate it and was thankful that it was something that could be said in an emergency but that he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally activating it.

The second protection that Harry had gotten was extra shielding against attacks on his mind. It was very similar to Occlumency and would deflect passing intrusions of his mind but not quite as powerful against a sustained attack by a master Legilimens. It also didn't give Harry any of the added benefits of faster recall or improved memory – which was something that Harry thought would be beneficial and so kept at his studies.

He would have to ask if Minnie could tell him more things now that he had some measure of added protection. Though he would probably have to wait until Hogwarts as she had told him that she was going to be very busy with the muggle-borns until the new year, not to mention getting the school in order. Any time that she had available to be with him would be spent instructing him to use Magic. It helped that he trusted Minnie and he knew that she really cared for him and would tell him when she felt that it was Ok to trust him with more information.

Harry had also found himself butting heads with Kreacher once again because he had been dismayed to hear that Kreacher slept in a little closet in the basement/dungeons and had ordered him to sleep in Sirius' room. He told the elf to remodel the room in any way that he wanted as long as everything that had belonged to Sirius was removed and burned, preferably in his presence. The elf was uncomfortable with his change in sleeping arrangements but Harry had countered that Kreacher was now family and would have his own room.

Kaa had taken to sleeping on Harry's king size bed since there was no way Harry would use all of it – even sleeping horizontally. Kaa was also free to explore the house and had taken advantage of this on some nights when Harry was sleeping soundly, but usually remained by Harry's side and was present during all of his lessons. After his terrific display of power by draining the soul of the horcrux, Kaa had found that he needed to eat more than usual and was putting away at least one mouse, if not two, a day. Harry had asked his companion if it was possible for Kaa to remain in his enlarged form but was told that it would take too much power to sustain and his kind only used it when taking or giving a soul.

Minerva had begun teaching Harry simple spells with his new holly wand. She did make Harry promise to not discuss his advanced training when he got to Hogwarts. The only reason she was even considering this was because of the prophecy and Voldemort – she wasn't one to show favoritism to students – even Harry, believing everyone should be treated the same and have the same access to education. However, this was a justifiable exception I her mind, and she would do anything to ensure Harry's safety when it came down to it. And _technically_, school hadn't started yet and Harry was not her student.

So far, she had concentrated mainly on getting Harry used to feeling his Magic within his core, letting it flow throughout his body and finally directing it out of his wand. The only spell she had taught him so far was the light spell.

Harry had been quite enthralled with this, 'lumos,' and insisted on using it during the night whenever he went to the bathroom or to get a glass of water from the kitchen. He had then taken to going all around Grimmauld Place with the lights off or at night was using his wand as a flashlight and had been practicing with increasing and decreasing the intensity of the light. What Harry didn't realize was that by practicing the amount of Magic he used to alter the spell's output, he was unintentionally preparing his body for learning how to silently cast Magic.

He had almost been at Grimmauld Place for a week when Dumbledore had informed him one day that Remus would be stopping by for dinner. He wanted to give Harry an opportunity to get to know the professor before anything permanent was discussed about living arrangements. He didn't want to force them together but had a sneaking suspicion that it would work out.

Harry was fidgeting nervously as he sat in his room getting ready for that night's dinner. He would be meeting one of his parent's oldest friends who also just happened to be one of his future professors and really wanted the man to like him. Harry was aware that there was a very good chance that Remus would be coming to live with him and desperately wanted to make a good first impression.

Kreacher had suddenly popped into his room announcing that Remus had arrived with the others. He motioned to Harry who was lounging by the window interacting with Kaa and Hedwig. His two companions had become quite comfortable with the other's presence.

"Your guests have arrived, Harry." The elf mentioned quickly before popping down to the kitchens again so that he could have everything prepared. Kreacher had been told to prepare something delicious but to not go out of his way – Harry didn't like the idea of the elf working all day long.

At first, he had tried to designate working hours for the elf but Kreacher was most displeased at being forced to sit in his room and not doing anything. Harry had quickly amended that outside of these working hours, Kreacher was ordered to do whatever he thought was relaxing and fun. Which meant that Kreacher was just working all of the time. Then, Harry at least tried to console himself with paying the elf for his work but was again, brutally rebuffed. Harry really thought getting the elf to realize he was not an indentured servant was a lost cause and had been happy with just getting the elf to sleep in Sirius' old room. Though, he suspected, the elf slept very little and was never actually in the room.

Harry gathered his courage and motioned for Kaa to slither up his left wrist. Kaa was visible against Harry's peach-colored skin, as he had chosen to wear a short-sleeved shirt that was dark blue. He had paired his top with his dark black trousers and dragon hide boots that he had splurged on in Diagon Alley. He was looking in the mirror when he made a mental note that he still had to go shopping for muggle clothing.

As he left his room to go and meet them, Harry thought, not for the first time, that he was somewhat glad for the excessive and immense size of this house because it would at least provide good practice for Hogwarts. He was thinking how thankful he was for having that map with him and again hoped that it would work when he was at the castle. Otherwise, he had no doubt that he would spend a great deal of his time trying to find his way around.

Harry was descending the stairs from the third floor to the second and saw that Dumbledore, Minnie, and Severus were all chatting amicably with an unknown wizard that he took to be Remus. The man looked older than he should have for someone of his supposed age and Harry surmised that it was due to the stress of losing his friends.

He had just walked onto the second floor landing when Kaa had hissed at him to stop.

'_Something is not right; I am sensing very dark energy coming from one of them. It must be the new one, Remus. I am concerned – it tastes powerful_.' Kaa had his head raised and was flicking his tongue out, trying to get as much information as possible.

Harry paused by the stairs and the others had finally noticed his presence and stood up and began to walk towards him. They all saw that Harry had then taken a step back up the stairs. Harry was being cautious and processing what Kaa had just said.

'_What do you think I should do? Should I ask Minnie what's going on_?' Harry asked Kaa, thinking that he trusted Minnie and she looked comfortable, as did all of the others. Perhaps it was some wizard or Magic thing that he didn't know about. However, after everything he was taught this week from Walburga and Orion, he couldn't help but act prudently

'_That would probably be wise, youngling_.' Kaa had stopped flicking his tongue; apparently he could glean nothing further about this situation.

"Minerva, can you come here for a moment, please?" Harry felt slightly silly and hoped that it wouldn't offend Remus too much. Maybe Remus would just think that Harry was nervous? He could always explain later, at any rate.

Minerva looked at the others uncertainly before acquiescing to his request and walking over.

Remus' enhanced smell had made him aware of Harry's presence before he had even seen him. He was overjoyed at seeing Harry, his cub, and noticing how he was growing into a fine young man. Remus had of course been informed of several things the others felt were prudent to know about Harry - including the whole Kaa and parseltongue thing. He had also been briefed on Voldemort and horcruxes and the wolf in him had flashed briefly in his eyes turning them yellow at the thought of Harry being in further danger. He was forever committed to doing everything in his power to protect Harry from that monster should there be more of them/him. He had offered to even provide extra tuition in DADA and dueling, which the others had thought was a great idea.

Minerva cautiously approached Harry.

"Harry?" She asked quietly. "What's wrong?" She was nervous, and could only wonder what this was all about.

"Is everything Ok with Remus?"

Harry didn't know how to say it without sounding offensive.

"It's just that Kaa feels a dark energy coming from him and is not sure what it is and wants me to be cautious."

Minerva looked slightly nonplussed with the comment and her reaction let Harry know that he was onto something.

"So… what is it?" He asked, now more sure that there was something; however, he did trust Minnie, and thought this was something that wasn't widely known but would be innocuous. He just couldn't see Minnie putting him or herself in any unnecessary danger.

"I am afraid it isn't my story to tell, Harry, but I can assure you that he is safe."

She paused not really knowing what else to add and a little thrown off by having this discussion so soon. She shouldn't have been surprised though, Harry was really observant. And he had Kaa with him, who could - no doubt - pick up on slight traces of Magic that others would miss.

"I can say that your parents knew and didn't care; in fact, I believe your father had gone out his way to not make it a big deal – though I may have disapproved about how he went about it."

Minerva didn't want to say too much but Harry was very astute and would probably figure it out in no time at all.

Harry was thinking at a rapid rate, going over everything he knew about Remus and his parents from the stories that he had been told. He also thought back to the letter and all of their nicknames. Nicknames tended to reflect some innate characteristic about someone.

"Hang on a minute," Harry thought out loud. "Does it have anything to do with my dad's nickname for him, 'Moony?'"

'Too astute,' Minerva thought. Her only reaction to Harry's question was a raised eyebrow.

'Ok, I'm on the right path.' Harry was thinking about how something with dark energy could be associated with the moon and some of the information he had learned through _A History of Magic_ or _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ when it hit him. Harry would have been more surprised except that it took more and more to shock him lately, and perhaps Remus was a good werewolf. Certainly his dad had had no problem with it and he didn't see why he should.

"A werewolf?" Harry asked with very little shock on his face.

The brief change of expression that Minerva had tried to conceal was enough for Harry to serve as a confirmation.

"Well, if my dad was OK with it who am I to judge?" Harry announced as he stalked past Minerva and towards the others, satisfied with his reasoning skills and deduction ability. Kaa seemed more at ease now but wanted to know everything about the situation; he wouldn't take chances when it came to Harry's safety.

Minerva quickly turned around and followed him and they soon joined the others.

Harry approached the now standing group who had been wondering amongst themselves what was going on. Remus looked slightly apprehensive and hoped that there wasn't a problem.

"Hello moony," Harry said with a smile and wink as he extended his hand to the man who had gone slightly white at the use of a name he hadn't heard in quite some time.

Harry had then wondered about the other nicknames that the letter had mentioned and decided to just get the awkwardness out of the way.

"So, if being a werewolf gave you the nickname of 'moony,' what was my dad to get the nickname of prongs?"

You could have heard a pin drop.

Remus had been surprised, to say the least, that Harry now knew he was a werewolf. He wasn't planning on telling Harry yet and had wondered how Harry had figured it out. They had spent dinner hearing about the note his parents had left in the vault and about the nicknames and how Kaa sensed that something was off. Remus was astounded that Harry had been able to connect all of the dots and thought, not for the last time, just how much of Lily's intelligence Harry possessed.

The rest of the evening was spent getting to know one another, and it was soon decided that Remus would be moving into Grimmauld permanently. The others had left a short while later leaving Harry to hear all sorts of wonderful stories and anecdotes about his parents.

The next day continued on in much the same fashion as Remus had explained how he had gotten to know his father and the rest of 'the marauders'. A considerable amount of time had been spend detailing the reactions that his friends had had when they found out that he was a werewolf, and even more time on them becoming animagi. Harry was astounded that someday he could become an animagus and turn into an animal. The thought of his dad's form gave him comfort and he wondered what he himself would turn into.

Remus had found it very easy to talk with Harry and enjoyed the level of intelligence and discussion that he brought to their conversations. He had been able to express his grief over losing Harry's parents and the shock that had come with hearing about Sirius. It had hurt Remus to think that someone so close had betrayed them and told Harry that his wolf saw him as his cub because he had been so close to him and his family. Remus had hesitantly asked if Harry was Ok with the idea of him becoming his guardian since he had moved out of The Dursleys.

Harry had immediately gone over to hug the man, reveling in the comfort and security that had been previously withheld from him. He found it quite easy, almost familiar, to be with Remus and he imagined that it was because he had known him when he was very young. It was very similar to how he felt around Minerva but there were more parental undertones associated with Remus. The others were quite happy with how Harry and Remus took to each other and thought it would be good for Harry to have someone who loved him quite as unconditionally as Remus seemed to. Even Snape!

Snape and Remus had begun on uneasy terms when Remus had started working at Hogwarts, but Snape didn't loathe him as he had loathed Sirius. Often times it was Remus who had tried to reign in Sirius and James and he had played no part in that foolish and deadly prank that Sirius had undertaken. Over the years, they had developed an uneasy friendship. They both had too many scars from the past to ever get on as mates but they had respect for one another. Snape really was happy for Remus and Harry; he thought it would heal some of the scars that the other had. For Remus, he would gain something that he had always thought he had lost, and Harry would gain something that he never knew he needed. They would be each other's family and Snape could only think how happy Lily would be to know that her boy would be taken care of. Remus would obviously protect the boy with his own life, if necessary. Snape had seen the flashes of yellow in his eyes that signaled the wolf claiming him as his cub; not even the worst torture would make Remus betray Harry.

They had taken some trips into London for clothes and even stopped by Diagon Alley one or twice to pick up supplies that Remus needed and whatnot.

Harry was moving along with his training and had successfully managed to cast the levitation charm, which had seen Harry practicing moving things up the various floors of Grimmauld Place while working on his control. Pillows were the items that he mostly used when practicing the charm, as they tended not to shatter when dropped from the third floor if Harry momentarily lost control of the spell.

Harry had shown Remus the cloak and had asked about the map and that if it worked only inside of Hogwarts. Remus had told him all about how it worked and that he should keep it to himself and to only let those that he trusted know that he had it. Remus knew that James would never forgive him if he didn't let Harry explore the castle with his own group of friends the same way he had; though the teacher in him wanted to take it away. Merlin help them if the Weasley twins ever got their paws on it! However, he did make Harry promise to not abuse it and to be wary given that he knew now that Voldemort was not truly gone.

A great thing about Remus moving in and some of the excitement of the past few week settling down was that Harry finally felt like he had time to process everything that had happened. He was able to retire to his room one afternoon and brought out the list of questions that he had written to see how many of them had been answered and what new ones remained. He read through them and decided to try answering with a quill to get some practice with this new and outdated writing method.

*** _Pet to bring? Says owl, toad, or cat – nothing else? Snake? Would be nice to have something to speak with. Should confirm you can speak with a snake._**

_*Have Hedwig and Kaa. Parseltongue confirmed._

*** _Is it normal to talk to snakes?_ _Can witches or wizards talk with other animals?_**

_* Still need answers – Hedwig seems very intelligent. Can understand me and maybe Kaa?_

**_* Four houses at Hogwarts? How are we sorted into a house?_**

_* Remus and Minnie described the houses for me. Ravenclaw is for the intelligent or those with the predisposition to treasure knowledge above anything else. Hufflepuff is full of hard workers and those that are loyal. Slytherin is where those who hope to further themselves with cunning and ambition get placed. Gryffindor is the home of the brave and the fearless. Minnie is head of Gryffindor and Snape is head of Slytherin. They did explain some of the problems within and between the houses. Remus said not to worry about where you are placed. You are sorted based on a hat that looks at your true characteristics and decides where you would best fit. May or may not take your opinion into account._

**_* Did my parents have any friends that are alive now? Any other children that I might have known while younger?_**

_* Neville Longbottom was someone you had play dates with before you went into hiding. His parents were tortured into insanity after my parents died for information about were the evil bastard was. He is in your year and was apparently raised by a very strict grandmother. Potential Friend?_

**_* Who brought me here? How did Petunia react? Does Vernon know about Magic?_**

_* Dumbledore brought me there with Minerva. Petunia said my mom wanted me there because of the protection she cast that is no longer good because that tosser made horcruxes._

**_* Money? Gold? What is Gringot's (sp)? Vault?_**

_* Don't think I need to worry about that! Interested to get into my family vault when I turn 14 though!_

**_* Dragon hide gloves? Dragons?!?_**

_* Dragons and werewolves! And many other things are real. All sorts of things. And vampires! Vampires!_

**_* Is it possible to bring a backup wand? Do they break? Can muggles use a wand?_**

_* Didn't ask because my wand shares something in common with that tosser and it freaked me out and the man who sold them was creepy. Wands can break and would need replacing. Muggles cannot use a wand because they have no magical core. _

**_* Broomsticks? We can fly! Do I have to be a second year to buy one?_**

_* We can fly and I can buy one for second year. Minnie said first years take lessons. Looking forward to that, how wicked._

**_* Pointed black hat, really? Do they help with Magic?_**

_* Unfortunately blacks hats are required for special occasions but do not help with Magic._

*** _Books? Can we bring more than what is on the list? Last name of author and subject they write about are similar, coincidence?_**

_* Problem solved because I have a portable library. And I should raid the Black Library. Who knows what is in there?! Author and name are purely coincidental, what are the odds?_

**_* Can Muggles see Magic? What makes us magical?_**

_* No. I also learned that there exist muggle-repelling charms. So fascinating! No idea what makes us magical though._

**_* Potions? Is that like chemistry!_**

_* Yes! And Snape is teaching! He seems like he knows his stuff. Really looking forward to this class, as the potions our text said that we would brew are so cool._

**_* How far behind will I be? Is there a difference between those raised in the magical world and those like me?_**

_* You will be fine. Especially with some of the tutelage that Walburga and Orion have given me. Not to mention very few people typically has training with their wand and you have. And you are will have read the course books by then. What do magical kids study before they go to Hogwarts?_

**_* Glasses, any way to magically fix eye site?_**

_* Unknown._

**_* _****_'Wizard' health - would that explain why I hardly get sick? What are the other differences between wizards and 'muggles'._**

_* Again unknown. Remus did say there was a healer/nurse there. Guess I will find out._

**_* Wizard suitcases - how will I carry all of these? Can we have things shipped to Hogwarts?_**

_* Got a great trunk. And a library. Muahahaha._

_New Questions/Observations:_

_* Have a very powerful companion in Kaa. Parseltongue is also something that I share with that tosser. Kaa can kill someone by sucking their soul. Kaa can also give life… have forbidden him from using it._

_* Voldemort has horcruxes. Fantastic. Just a few small details to be worked out: How many, what they are, and where they are. No problem, should only take a week!_

_* Why is Voldemort after me? Have been given extra tuition in Magic – well started early. Have been entrusted to know about horcruxes even though they won't tell me anything else though it sounds serious (well, you found out about the horcruxes – they probably wouldn't have told you). And I have been learning about Occlumency and I have that ring to protect my mind somewhat. Need to learn more… I did see a section on Divination at Flourish and Blotts… My parents seemed to know that Voldemort was after them… or after me… was there a prophecy? A History of Magic does detail their occurrence. What could it have said? If I were going to kill an infant (not that I would) it would probably be to take them out before they became a problem. Ok... Was there a prophecy about me being able to destroy Voldemort? That would seem logical given everything that has happened or been said. Probably certain at this point. Well I suppose that could make sense given my possession of Kaa and his ability to kill souls. That seems suspicious… probably the strongest piece of evidence besides my family going into hiding is having a snake that can do that AND having the problem that Voldie may have made all of these objects house parts of his soul. Great. Well, I at least have a motivation to study and learn all I can._

_* Still have to read those letters that my parents left me._

_* Remus is a werewolf but a really great guy. My dad and his friends became animagi to comfort Remus. Need to learn about how to become an animal because how freaking awesome would that be!_

When he had finished going over his thoughts, Harry had then immediately owl-ordered some books on anything that would help him become an animagus. He couldn't wait to begin that endeavor and pondered what kind of animal he would become; as much as he would have loved to be something similar to his dad's form, he sincerely hoped that he could be an animal with the power of flight. Along with his order for books on the animagus transformation he had also requested as many books on defensive Magic as he could find. On second thought, he had purchased anything else he could think of that would help him with Voldemort, including one or two books on divination and prophecies. He was soon faced with the realization that he could be soon filling his library to the brim, especially after he had raided The Black Library and found that it contained 20,000 various books.

Harry thought it would be prudent to owl-order another trunk that could contain 10,000 books and he would fill this library with books dedicated solely to Voldemort and anything he could find on horcruxes. This was going to be his batcave and part of his defense against that tosser, which he hoped would be enough to ensure his survival. However, he was having a problem finding many books that contained information, let alone a mention, of horcruxes at Flourish and Blotts. Walburga and Orion had pointed him to some helpful texts within The Black Library but had restricted his access to most of the books. For one, he wouldn't be able to understand them yet, and the other was that he was far too young to see that kind of stuff. They had put their collective foot down, well as much as a painting could.

Speaking of portraits, Harry had asked Remus if there were some of his parents in his Potter Vault and asked about how that whole process worked. Remus was unsure if James and Lily had done this but could see Lily planning for any eventuality. He explained to Harry that portraits were not the real person but had some of their memory and personality stored in them at the time when the painting was done. He explained it in similar terms to a horcrux, except that there was no soul present. It was simply using Magic and some memories.

Harry would look forward to get to know his parents any way that he could and hoped that those portraits existed.

It was about a week later that Harry had felt that he could handle what was written inside the letters from his parents. He had told Remus about them and had planned to read them one night after dinner since he would be leaving for Hogwarts in a little more than a week. He said he would want to be alone with them but would come to him if he needed anything.

Remus could feel the nerves rolling off of Harry in waves as he ate his meal in silence the night he was planning on tackling the letters. Remus had given Harry a hug before he excused himself for the night. Harry then retired to his room to see what his parents had wanted to say to him.

Kaa was stretched out on his bed and Harry soon joined him, lying down on his stomach wile propping himself up with his elbows. The letters were still sealed in front of him, the last vestiges of doubt gnawing at him.

Kaa was being supportive and staying close to Harry's side while giving him the privacy to read through his letters first. He had wanted Harry to have a personal time with this and didn't want to intrude on his mind and thoughts by taking his usual place on his arm. Though, he would remain close by in case Harry wanted to talk about anything but he wouldn't force the issue and let Harry proceed at a pace he was comfortable with. Harry was appreciative of the sentiment but had become used to sharing most everything with the snake and getting immediate feedback. It was nice having someone that you could trust in completely and not fear that they would judge you.

Harry finally swallowed his hesitancy and decided that he would start with his father's letter. He slowly picked up the sealed envelope and stared at it longingly for a few moments, trying to savor this one-way conversation he would get to have with his dad for as long as possible.

He opened the envelope and saw that there was quite the missive contained within it. The letter turned out to be more like a series of journal entries and he noted that the envelope probably contained a slight expansion charm on it.

He gripped the cover page and slowly unfurled it to begin reading.

_ Harry,_

_I can't tell you how sorry I am if you are reading this. I do hope that whatever happened has left you Ok. I can't imagine the many things that could have happened. Your mother and I tried to plan for everything we could think of in relation to you. I don't know how much you know or are aware with what happened and why. So I will start from the beginning. But don't think that is all I will tell you! I want to pass down as much as I can about Hogwarts and life and would like to think I can pretend to give you advice as you go along – like I could have if things had been different. Your mother is quite gifted with charms and we will both write as much as possible in these and over time you will be able to read more and more. It was the only thing we could think of to be with you as much as possible…_

Harry lifted his head for a moment as he processed that his parents had arranged to give him the information over time, just as if he would come home and ask them about things. His heart felt warm knowing that they had done all of this for him. He had never thought he would get this kind of love and support and he had so much of it now. He had Remus and Minnie and Kaa, and now these letters would be able to keep giving him a connection to his parents. He returned to the letter with a very thankful smile.

_ There are things we wish to tell you but the information is quite sensitive in nature. We want to make sure that you will be able to handle it and that you can protect it. There is this type of Magic, called Occlumency, that can protect your mind and also help to organize it. Both your mother and I studied it and it really helped our memory, though your mother became even sharper with her recall of information. Something I hope you have inherited! Your mother has charmed both mine and hers to provide information if you have learned a certain amount of Occlumency and can protect it from charmed attacks within this letter. Also your mother's doing…_

Harry thought this was reasonable and wondered if the back heir ring he wore would allow him to hear things sooner than he would have been able to otherwise. This also seemed to indicate that his thinking process in regards to the prophecy was on point if they wanted him to be able to protect the information.

_ First, I hope that all of this will be easier for you to hear and that you should know some of this because Sirius and Remus should be there to take care of you along with Petunia…_

Harry had to force himself not to scream out in disgust at reading the name of the man that had betrayed his parents. His parents had had such faith in this man and it had cost them their lives. He forced himself to continue after several deep breaths.

_ You will know all about the Fidelius charm that we cast and how at the last minute Sirius had the brilliant idea of using Pettigrew instead…_

'What the hell?' Harry thought… thinking he had misread something, Pettigrew wasn't the secret keeper. Sirius had been… Minerva and Remus had told him so. But… his mind was trying to think of an alternative. What if they had changed the secret keeper and not told anyone? Could Sirius have killed Pettigrew because he betrayed the Potters?

He hesitantly kept reading – not sure he was going to like what he had found out.

_ …because no one would have expected it to be anyone other than Sirius. But if you are reading this, then Pettigrew must have been tortured and given up our location. Don't judge him to harshly if he is still alive, though I doubt it if Voldemort would let him live. Your mother and I knew that we were only prolonging the inevitable and that Voldemort would find us. I bet you are wondering or have wondered or have even been told why Voldemort was so interested in us, and you. Though I am afraid your Occlumency is not good enough for this based on reading this sentence because if you were ready another sentence would have appeared._

_ If you do know, then Sirius must have had his reasons for telling you and raising you to be prepared._

'Here it is again,' Harry thought. His heart began to race at the thought: was Pettigrew the secret keeper? Harry would have to ask Remus. Something didn't sound right about all of this and he had a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. And that wasn't the only thing causing this very bad feeling. He was almost 100% positive that there was a prophecy now and it centered on him and Voldemort.

Harry sighed. He thought he was far too young for all of this and didn't know how he felt about being destined to fight someone. His mind had been getting more and more used to this idea that there had to have been a prophecy and at least he would know about it going forward. It would give him time to process it and make it easier for him to deal with. Besides, he reasoned, if he had the power to defeat Voldemort, he was hardly in the position to do so now. And with what he knew about the horcruxes – Voldemort would need time to recover. It seemed that he was right to purchase an additional library and was committed to pilfering some of the books from The Black Library now. He would need to be prepared and he would have to start now.

If he had been in Voldemort's position and had thought that a piece of Magic he had performed that would let him be immortal worked in a slightly different manner, he would take time to understand it. He also reasoned that the Voldemort's that could come back to life would be younger and it was possible didn't know about the prophecy. This thought process led Harry to wonder when the Prophecy had been made and who had heard it. It could very well be years before this would come to a head and Harry thought he would have enough time to prepare himself. He had already committed to try his best and apply himself at Hogwarts and he loved to read and learn new things. He just had another reason now, though this reason was rather important in that his life literally could hang in the balance.

Harry wasn't immediately worried about his 'destiny,' he was more concerned about Pettigrew potentially being the one to have betrayed his parents. He would have to get to the bottom of this, though he couldn't call Sirius innocent. Even if he thought Sirius was justified in killing Pettigrew, he had also killed 13 muggles and would probably still be in Azkaban for that.

He turned his attention back to the letter and read as his father described some of his childhood and he learned about his paternal grandparents. He was nearing the end of what was currently written and this section had focused on Hogwarts.

_ Now, Harry, don't be nervous about Hogwarts. Learning Magic is not that difficult if you go about it the right way. Many texts try and get children to focus on specific incantations for performing the spells to help them concentrate because they are too young to really understand Magic is all about intent and belief. For example, transfiguration will require a different spell to be said for every change you wish to perform in the beginning but over time – Transfiguration is the easiest branch of Magic to use silently because it is all about intent. In your first lesson, you will learn how to turn a match into a needle and nearly everyone struggles with that because they focus so much on the words and the wand movement. While important, you have to want the match to change and visualize it changing in your mind for it to work. Use that same principle in all of your classes and you will go far._

_ I wish I could be there for you and watch you grow. Just know that I am with you, always._ _You have my blood flowing through you and think about that whenever times get to be too much. A part of me will always live on through you. I only want you to be happy, Harry. I don't care if you get sorted into Slytherin or whatever else you could be worried about that I would disprove of. We did everything for you and it was because we love you and you are the most important person to your mother and I. I love you Harry James Potter and will always be proud of you._

_ Until next time, my son._

Harry was quite happy he had managed to hold back the tears that had threatened to spill. He sometimes just felt like he alternated between surprised, angry, or sad these days. Having this letter, and the ability to hear from his dad over time was something he would treasure forever. He would do his best to make them proud of him. He liked that thought about his dad's blood flowing through him and he imagined it warming him from the inside for a few moments as he prepared himself to begin reading the letter from his mum.

_ My Darling Boy,_

_ Your father and I wrote these letters together so I will try not to repeat what he said. There are things I would love to tell you but want you to be prepared for them. I don't want to overburden you with this information at 11 if you are just getting to know this world. I can't imagine Petunia telling you much about being a wizard. I know it might not have been the best childhood and for that I apologize. It was my decision to put you there because of the protection that you would get. I wanted you to be safe Harry. I will tell you the protection I performed was ancient Magic from a very old tome and we have arranged for it to be in the Potter Vault. I feel that 14 is still too young for that information but can't withhold it from you as I have a feeling it will be important. Just promise me that you will use it well?_

_ I am sure your father explained Occlumency and I must urge you to study this. There are things you must know but the information is quite important and dangerous should it fall into the wrong hands. I want you to be prepared for what is to come and I have a feeling that what we did was not good enough. I have a feeling that Voldemort will return even though the Magic I invoked would kill him or should have killed him. I don't know how he will return or could, but I want you to be prepared nonetheless. Better safe than sorry!_

_ My biggest regret is not watching you grow up and seeing you live your life. You gave me such joy when you were little and went exploring all over the house. Just know that there is nothing that you could ever do to stop me from loving you. Listen to your heart, Harry, if you are ever in doubt. Especially if you have inherited my way of thinking! Sometimes you can think to the point where it just makes things worse and you have to trust what your gut tells you._

_ Don't give Severus a hard time. I know your father doesn't like him and James could be quite mean sometimes though he did grow out of it. Deep down, Severus is a good man. We had a falling out and never made up because of things that were happening in the world. If you can, let him know that I forgive him. We all do things that we regret. James regrets being mean to him and I regret not knowing how much Severus was hurting. Don't let one stupid moment or fight change your relationship with people you love; it isn't worth it in the end._

_ I hope that you enjoy Hogwarts. Just try and behave more than your father did? And study hard, Harry! The secret to Magic is intent – but also belief, especially for charms. You have to believe in them to make the spell reach its full potential._

_ Until next time sweetheart._

Harry didn't feel like reading anymore and was glad that he couldn't. He took a few moments to process everything that he had just read. He had just been given a great gift and though it wasn't his parents in the flesh, it was still something. He would make both of them proud and would carry a little bit of them with him wherever he went and whatever he did. The more he thought about some of the tips they had given him about Magic, the more he thought that they had made perfect sense. He couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts and see just what he could do with that knowledge and his determination to become a great wizard.

All of the information though about Pettigrew and the prophecy had reached a breaking point: he had decided that he wanted to hear everything; he didn't want to keep discovering things out a little here and a little there. He just wanted to know and he had come to the conclusion that being blunt with Remus was the way to go.

He discussed this with Kaa and he agreed with everything that Harry was thinking.

'_It is strange, youngling, how everything does seem to happen around you. I think if you are direct with Remus he will be honest with you_.' Kaa thought to Harry as Harry practically stomped downstairs on his mission to get answers to all of his questions.

He approached Remus who was reading by the fireplace on the second floor. Remus noticed the boy coming closer and was startled by the fierce look in his eyes. Whatever was in that letter must have been a shock to Harry, and he figured he was about to find out just what had been so alarming.

"Is everything OK, Harry?" Remus was truly concerned as Harry sat down across from him and folded his arms, minding where Kaa was curled on his left wrist.

"I just read part of the letters Remus and I would like some honest answers. I am really getting sick of thinking that I have heard everything only just to discover this next huge thing. I think I have demonstrated that I have handled things well so far. I mean horcruxes, finding out I remember watching my mother die, and battling Voldemort's soul. Wouldn't you agree?"

Kaa and him had discussed the best way to go about getting their questions answered. He knew that adults were much more likely to treat you like an adult if you behaved like one and it would do no good to just demand answers like a petulant child. He wanted to emphasize that _he had_ dealt with things well so far and wanted to get Remus to agree to that. His goal was to project a more mature person for Remus to deal with.

"Yes, Harry – I think you have done splendid, really!"

Remus could only imagine what Harry was feeling on the inside and really thought it would do more harm than good in keeping things from him. He didn't think Harry had the Occlumency skills just yet, even considering the added boon that his heir ring provided, but he knew about the horcruxes already. What was a prophecy compared to that? Remus thought he deserved to know about the prophecy but he didn't know what it had said, only that one existed. He was wondering how to bring up the subject of the prophecy and was a little surprised Harry hadn't figured it out himself given all of the signs and his demonstrated deductive skill with figuring out that Remus was a werewolf.

Harry was silent, waiting for Remus to make a decision.

Remus couldn't deny Harry the truth. 'And he won't go through this alone,' Remus thought.

"You have my word that I will answer your questions to the best of my ability." He got up and moved to sit down next to the boy and held his right hand to show his support.

"Thank you, Remus."

Harry took a deep breath before going on.

"The letter said that Pettigrew was the secret keeper, not Sirius. Could that have been true?"

Remus' entire face was white.

'Yep,' Harry thought – more than likely it had been true. Which meant it would have been Pettigrew that had betrayed his parents and not Sirius. And that Sirius had gone after Pettigrew in retribution.

Remus was thinking very quickly about all of these things and had come to a similar conclusion: Sirius was innocent of the betrayal but guilty for the murder or Pettigrew and those 13 muggles and would still remain in Azkaban. It made more sense for Pettigrew to betray Lily and James, though still hurtful, it had been so hard thinking that Sirius had done that to someone who was practically his brother.

"Would Sirius remain in Azkaban for killing Pettigrew and those muggles?" Harry had asked, just wanting confirmation of his suspicion.

"Yes, Harry" Remus had whispered back. They both were dealing with the weight of this knowledge and both had sat back into the couch, trying to find comfort in the plush cushions.

"Though I will inform Dumbledore, it would be wrong to let Sirius be classified as a traitor though he did kill people. It would also help to be honest about Pettigrew, though I'm not sure what good words in a letter will do. What happened that day has pretty much been established as fact and would need more evidence to overturn any decision. Though, the words are more than enough for me…"

Remus gave a silent apology to Sirius for thinking the worst of him – and mentally scolding him for killing, but he imagined Sirius had not been thinking straight if his suggestion led to the deaths of his friends. Remus didn't know what to think about Pettigrew… Pettigrew… It seemed unlikely now that Voldemort tortured Pettigrew for the Potter's location. He really must have betrayed them if Sirius had gone after him. He would have to bring this up with Dumbledore and the others.

"So," Harry began after a while, wanting to know the answer but thinking of no better way to ask than to just come right out and say it.

"Was there a prophecy about me and Voldemort saying that I could defeat him?"

Remus sighed deeply at that. He didn't have to answer yes at that point, but he did anyways.

"Yes, Harry…" there was a significant pause before Remus continued. He was unsure of what to say.

"But I don't know what it says. Only the gist of it was that you had the power to defeat him."

Remus turned to look at Harry wanting to know how he was taking everything.

"I'm fine Remus, honestly. I think a part of me has always known, especially lately. I always wondered about that dream and ever since I learned what it meant, I can't say I am surprised. It explains everything that has happened to me – when you think about it."

There was another pause as they both thought about things; the only change was that Remus had slightly tightened his grip on Harry's hand, something for which Harry was appreciative of. Harry would be more concerned if he had to go through this alone.

Mainly Harry was just exhausted at this point. He had been through so much and didn't recognize himself from the boy who had begun this summer. He couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts and have something else to occupy his mind with.

Remus and Harry had ended up falling asleep on the couch, as they had talked well into the night. Harry told him about the letters and how they had been charmed by Lily to reveal information if his Occlumency shield were strong enough and that more information would appear over time. Harry thought it was neat that it would seem like his parents were going to be there as he grew with them over time and be able to provide more information to him.

The last week at Grimmauld Place seemed to fly by and Harry had spent all of his free time after finishing his course books practicing his meditation for Occlumency. Part of the reason was to learn more about what was contained in the letters or to be told more by Minnie. Most of it was because it was required for his animagus transformation. He was keeping that secret from the others because Minerva had told him it was dangerous but the thought about transforming into an animal was too wicked to pass up. He told himself that he would take it slow, and it was going to help him with Occlumency. It was a win-win he thought.

Before he knew it, September 1st arrived and Remus escorted Harry to the train station and they boarded The Hogwarts Express.

**This chapter was a pain to write and I'm still not happy with it.**

**Let me know what you think: good or bad!**

**Next Chapter is sorting and we get to meet Cedric for the first time :)**


	8. Better Be

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, this chapter was a lot easier to write than the last one. I know that some of you may not be happy with the sorting but I have my reasons and feel they were clearly spelled out. And we meet Cedric!

Chapter is dedicated to MinecraftLover00 for giving some of my ideas helpful feedback!

Let me know what you think. I love reviews, especially the ones that provide helpful critiques :)

Posted 2/28/15

**Standard disclaimer about not owning anything! JK I love you.**

The trip to King's Cross station was uneventful; however, leaving Grimmauld Place was very bittersweet. It had been the first home where Harry had felt like he had truly gotten a chance to live and be himself. Besides, he had family there that he was enjoying getting to know and would miss having the run of the house.

While Walburga could be a bit of a snob and looked down on people that she didn't find worthy _and _was a little bit of bitch, she also had a tremendous capacity for putting family first. Harry and her had gotten the chance to talk more about the war and the effect it had on her and her family. Initially, she had seen Voldemort as someone who would bring back wizarding culture and tradition. She was a staunch conservative when it came to family heritage and had joined willingly with the new movement and encouraged her family to join as well. 'A return to values' she had called it.

However, over the years their unwavering support of that madman had cost them dearly. Family members were either killed or imprisoned while their wealth decreased substantially because The Blacks had been a significant bankroller for the organization. The last straw had been the loss of her son, Regulus. But by then, it was too late. And then Sirius was lost on top of that. They were too far in and simply retreated to Grimmauld Place in the hopes that they could ride out the storm.

Meanwhile, Orion had done wonders for Harry's self-confidence. Harry may not have loved everything that was expected of him now, but he couldn't deny the positive effect Orion's teachings had had on his outlook on life. Now, he felt like he had a thicker skin and was just more comfortable being in his own body. Orion's advice about always being true to one's self and having confidence had really made an impact. He would miss being able to talk to them both.

And then there was Kreacher, who Harry had told to enjoy himself when he was at Hogwarts and to do what he thought was fun. He would miss the little guy, even though he would have to find a way to reduce his insistence need to tend to him 24/7.

His thoughts drifted back to the present as Remus led them to an open carriage in the back of the train and then proceeded to cast a stronger variant of the notice-me-not charm to give them privacy. Harry had been concerned about meeting everyone for the first time as the boy-who-lived and preferred to have one last moment of peace. They had discussed how Harry was perceived in the wizarding world for defeating Voldemort and what that would mean for his time at Hogwarts. They had discussed at length the different houses Harry could enter and what his different options were and where Harry would most likely be better off. Harry didn't like the notion of having yet more expectation or weight on his shoulders.

Harry had thought about the various options in front of him at length and had considered everything he could think of but was looking forward to running several thoughts by this Sorting Hat. Remus had told him all about the process of sorting and being able to have a conversation with the Hat and Harry was looking forward to it immensely. He had some ideas about where to go, but advice from someone that had sorted everyone that had ever been to Hogwarts was bound to be good. At the very least, it would offer another perspective on his mind and thought process besides the input he got from Kaa.

The train ride to Hogwarts was spent alternating between reading _Hogwarts: A History_, staring out the window contemplatively, or talking with Kaa.

Many thoughts were chaotically swirling through his mind and he used this opportunity to practice some of his meditation in the hopes of reining them in. Aunt Walburga was quite pleased that Harry could finally calm his mind and had given Harry new goals to work on. Now that he could clear his mind, she told him to practice moving his memories around and storing them in specific places. For example, she told him to concentrate on any memory before he found out he was a wizard and place it within The Dursley section and then other sections could be devoted accordingly. Harry had described to her that his calm mind resembled an empty library, like the one he used to spend all of his time at in his youth. He then had started the tedious process of filing things away under their appropriate headers while noting where he sorted everything in his 'card catalogue.' It was a time-consuming process in the beginning, but over time he could already see the benefits he would have for information recall. Specific protocols for extracting information were even being developed as he went along. For his defenses against mental intrusion, he was leaning on something resembling a library card: no card, no memory access.

Harry sat there with his feet tucked under him while Kaa was curled up and resting comfortably besides him, not wanting to disturb his training by being another thought in his head. His bond with Kaa was growing each day, and he felt more connected to the snake than he had ever felt with anything - even parts of himself. Kaa was becoming an extension of him and they were getting so used to each other's company that they would only notice when the other was not there.

Aside from working on Occlumency, Kaa had thought it would be helpful if Harry got more used to how his Magic felt. Harry could feel the ripples of Magic pulsing from his core like a heartbeat and he tried to follow those ripples as they moved through his body and danced along his skin. He had even gotten to know slight variations within the ripples of Magic outside of his body that signaled they were coming from a different source. For instance, he was quite aware of the different flavor that Kaa's Magic possessed. It was older, and had a depth to it that was beautiful but carried a subtle but very distinct and ominous warning. When Harry really concentrated, he could even sense where the snake was when they were not together. It was incredibly tiring but it was becoming easier each time that Harry tried it. Kaa had remarked that he could _feel_ where Harry was at all times and it would take more time and practice before Harry would be able to feel Kaa without putting in any effort. Kaa was older and had more practice with his Magic and the bonding with Harry had only intensified and strengthened his preternatural abilities.

Harry was also beginning to sense the Magic coming from others and had practiced on Remus and his house guests the few times when they had all gotten a chance to have a meal together. Remus had power and Harry could now sense what had alerted Kaa that something was off: there was a darkness that lacked any indication of whether it was good or bad. It was just there, almost slumbering beneath the surface. He supposed it was the wolf inside of him and he wondered whether he would be able to get a different read on Remus' Magic if he were ever to be around him when the change happened. Remus had told him in very specific terms that it would never happen.

Harry thoughts drifted back to the present as the train continued careening on towards Hogwarts. His life was about to change again. And while he was looking forward to being in the castle and studying Magic, he had a lot of concerns. Concerns that were tied with the prophecy and with him being the boy-who-lived, but he also had to worry about being nervous just like everybody else going to a new school.

First, he was hailed as the defeater of the most powerful and sinister Dark Lord in the last thousand years for something that he didn't even do. It was his parents, his mum in particular, who had sacrificed everything for him and ensured his survival. If it weren't for the ancient Magic that his mother invoked, he would be dead.

How would students treat him? Would they worship him and expect him to always do amazing things or ignore him because he was so different from them? Harry just wanted to see who he was without any one else's expectations. He wanted to just be Harry Potter. Like when he was back at The Dursleys, he had just wanted a quite life in pursuit of knowledge and would have been content trying to learn all of the world's secrets. Now, he kind of just wanted to survive and not have too much stress.

Second, now he was the heir to not one but two Ancient and Noble Houses. He was grateful for everything Uncle Orion, as Harry had preferred to call him since grandfather didn't seem quite right as time had gone on, had told him; however, it didn't change the fact that he had this newfound role that came with all of this political weight and power that he didn't know how to carry. Being intelligent and advanced for your age was one thing, but this was another level entirely. Harry wasn't even sure if he even understood the subtle nuances of politics, and he certainly didn't like it.

Third, he was fairly positive that Voldemort, or some iteration of him, wasn't completely dead if he had made more horcruxes. So now, even though he was being hailed as the defeater of Voldemort by his silly moniker, he felt more uncomfortable knowing that it was a double lie that he had to live under. First, he didn't defeat _that_ Voldemort and, second, he didn't know how many other Voldemorts there would be!

And then there was the prophecy to consider. Remus had talked with Dumbledore and the others and confided in them that Harry was aware – which really didn't surprise them that Harry had put two and two together. Dumbledore had made Harry a deal where he would share the full prophecy when Harry had mastered Occlumency. Harry had considered it more than fair and it would give him an incentive to get it down as quickly as possible.

Finally, Harry was fairly certain that he was gay. The opposite sex had never interested him in that way – he never even had a desire to kiss a girl. And then there were the dreams. He didn't think he was going through puberty, as it was a little early for boys, but he definitely noticed boys the way his peers had talked about girls. He had done a little researching about homosexuality in the wizarding world and he knew that it was more acceptable than it was in the muggle world.

And Snape was gay… and his mother had been really good friends with him from the stories that he had heard from Remus until Snape had done something that Remus hadn't elaborated on. Harry had had enough tact not to ask Snape – though he wanted to tell him that his mum forgave him – what it was. He was at least comforted that his parents wouldn't have a problem with him being gay. And they did tell him that they just wanted him to be happy, so he was going to take them on their words.

"_The train is slowing youngling, I think we may be arriving_." Kaa commented from his position.

Harry looked out the window, and could see them approaching the small wizarding village of Hogsmeade that Remus had told him about. Remus had noticed that The Hogwarts Express was slowing as well and moved to gather the belongings that he would carry himself to the school.

"We will be arriving at Hogsmeade in 5 minutes. Please leave all of your belongings on the train as they will be taken up to Hogwarts separately." The conductor noted.

Harry gathered Kaa and had placed his invisibility cloak, map, and wand in an expandable pouch that Remus had given Harry as a belated birthday present as he didn't wand to part with these. He wasn't that worried about everything else.

Remus had taken Harry aside before they got off the train to give him some final thoughts.

"Now, don't be worried, Harry," Remus spoke as he smoothed Harry's robes. 'James and Lily would be so proud of him,' Remus thought with a tinge of guilt as he stood in front of Harry. It seemed so unfair that he would get to know Harry and watch him grow up while they didn't.

A sad smile showed on his face as he took Harry in.

"Or nervous. It does not matter what house you get sorted into or what house you choose, should the hat ask." Remus looked at him knowingly.

"I think you may get asked to weigh in. Honestly, you have qualities that could put you in any house. I think your parents…"

He tipped Harry's chin up so that he could look into his eyes.

"Your parents would just want you to be happy. They wouldn't care what house you went into. And neither do I. You have to forge your own path and do what is best for you. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks."

"Thanks, Remus… I know that we had talked about it, but I think I needed to hear that again."

His response was accompanied by a small, but genuine, smile and he wrapped his arms around Remus' waist as his guardian pulled him into a hug.

'I could definitely get used to this,' Harry thought as he savored the protectiveness of Remus' embrace.

Remus then directed Harry in the direction the first years would take as they traveled to the castle separately by boat. The thought process with the boats was to give the first years an appreciation of the castle and allow them to experience Hogwarts in all of its grandeur for the first time. It also provided time for the rest of the students and staff to become seated before the sorting ceremony.

Harry had waved 'hello' to Hagrid as he had been told many stories about the giant groundskeeper.

Professor McGonagall met the first years as they arrived in the castle and explained the different houses to them. She had smiled very briefly at Harry when her eyes had landed on him and he gave a small nod in return. She had already told Harry everything that was about to happen and, while she hoped to have him in her house, she would understand if there was some other place that he was meant to be. Harry had promised to come bother Minnie no matter where he was sorted.

Harry would always remember the first time he entered the great hall. It didn't matter that he had been in the castle before, albeit briefly. He could literally feel the Magic in the air and it called to him. He had never felt more comfortable in his entire life; he was where he belonged. Items were around him that he had seen a hundred times, but never with this intensity and never with this feeling. Thousands of candles just floated above everyone, coating everything in a warm, golden hue. Beyond the candles was where the ceiling was supposed to be but it gave way to the night sky and all of the stars shined down upon them.

On the wall, huge torches were lit and there was even a bat or two that flew among them, only to return to the where the ceiling should have been and seemingly disappear into the night.

They walked straight towards the front table where the staff sat, which was perpendicular to the four long house tables that extended nearly the length of the entire hall. Remus had explained where the different houses sat. The Slytherin table was to the far left as they walked towards the raised dais in front of them and was followed by Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor as you moved to the right.

Harry was still trying to take it all in while making sure he didn't trip. Everyone here was magical; he wondered how all of the other first years had managed to be nervous with this much Magic saturating everything. Didn't they feel it? Kaa was even overwhelmed by the sheer force of energy, surreptitiously flicking out his tongue underneath Harry's robe to start cataloguing little by little. It was quite exhilarating.

After much deliberation and assurances from Harry and Kaa, and taking into account the strength of their bond and that Kaa _had_ managed to kill a part of Voldemort's soul, Harry was allowed to keep the snake with him as long as it was kept out of sight. He wouldn't want to have people asking questions about why the defeater of Voldemort had a pet snake and could speak to it. They also wanted to keep quiet the nature of Kaa's abilities. This was a potential secret weapon and he didn't want to expose Kaa to danger.

One thing in their favor was that Apophis Asps were incredibly rare; Kaa had been in Diagon Alley for months and no one had recognized what he was, not even the owner. Dumbledore had known about them while Severus was the only one to actually know what they looked like since their scales and venom could be used in the rarest of potions. It had taken some restraint for the potions master to not ask Harry for any of Kaa's shed skin.

The group of first years was led to a space between the house tables and where the professors sat. Their table was set on a raised dais and a stool with a very large and very old-looking Hat was in front of it. Harry had been a little apprehensive about getting sorted in front of the entire school, especially when one would be facing the entire student body while getting sorted. Really, anyone with stage fright that actually got up there should just be sorted into Gryffindor for his or her bravery.

Professor McGonagall turned to face them and the rest of the students and the hall became eerily silent in anticipation of what she was about to say.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts for another year of learning," she directed towards the upper years in a tone Harry knew to contain many emotions. Some of the students she was happy to have back, and some students she preferred back only if they behaved themselves. As if she was emphasizing what Harry was thinking, she peered to the Gryffindor table where her gaze fell onto a pair of twins with blazing red hair.

"And welcome to Hogwarts for our newest members. Great things lie ahead of you, I'm sure."

She paused for a dramatic effect.

"Now, shortly, we will begin the sorting process and you will be able to join your houses."

She motioned to the different tables behind them and explained which table belonged to which house. She then introduced The Sorting Hat, which belted out a colorful tune.

_Welcome, welcome, everyone,_

_Your time at Hogwarts just begun,_

_So take a gamble, Let me ramble!_

_Oh, what a great preamble!_

_Mind these words that I may say,_

_For they may save your life someday._

_There is still evil that lurks this land,_

_It may even shake your hand._

_Secrets are around us all,_

_Some are present in this very hall._

_The smart ones will know where to look,_

_In every cranny, every nook._

_But do not worry yourself right now,_

_Just let me sit upon your brow._

_For inside your mind I will go,_

_There is something I need to know._

_Though, this part should not take long,_

_To find out where you belong._

_And I may ask a thing or two,_

_Take heed, you should answer true._

_We have four houses in this hall,_

_Each is mighty and stands tall._

_They pride themselves on different things,_

_If you listen closely, you may here one sing._

_No house is better than the rest,_

_Don't think I kid, I do not jest._

_My thinking has evolved of late,_

_Though I don't think I could pick a date._

_Years I've sat on countless heads,_

_For some minds need to be led._

_And there are those of you quite proud,_

_They think they know and are very loud._

_My hope is that there is just one_,

_Whose mind is open and seeks the sun._

_Heed the advice I give you freely,_

_And in the end, I mean it, Really._

_Now my remaining words are few,_

_I would listen if I were you._

_This castle was built to study magic,_

_But we've had events, some quite tragic._

_And just remember when it grows dark,_

_Each of us can create a spark._

_Our futures are our own to bear,_

_But that does not mean you cannot share._

_Let your heart be your guide,_

_Should someone be at your side._

_For you will know if they are true,_

_Ones like that are very few._

_Take caution, but don't despair,_

_Just watch out for every other stair._

_And happiness can be found at any time,_

_Just look at me I love to rhyme._

Harry resisted the urge to clap as enthusiastically as he had wanted to since the majority of the student body seemed bored and polite clapping was all that he heard.

A hat just sang to them for crying out loud! That wasn't something you saw everyday. He hoped he never lost that thrill of seeing or doing Magic and became complacent with everything around him.

He had listened to the song and wondered whether it was sentient and not just charmed to sort. It did practically say Voldemort was still out there… well, if you knew that he had created horcruxes and read between the lines - it did. The teachers all seemed to pick up on it. Then, there was a feeling he got that made him wonder whether that song had been directed at a few specific individuals, namely him.

McGonagall shook her head briefly and tried not to look at Harry.

She continued on.

"When I call your name, come forward and sit on the stool and I will place The Sorting Hat on your head. When it calls your house, please walk towards the appropriate table and join your new housemates."

She started calling them forward alphabetically. Harry would have a ways to go before he was called and was closely watching the others who went before him, trying to remember who went to which house. He wasn't nervous about where he was going to get sorted because he found value in all of the houses but he was curious to speak with the hat. It would have sat on Voldemort's head, and his parents, and he doubted he would be allowed to have this opportunity to ask questions again. There didn't seem to be a time limit on getting sorted as some people had taken up to 10 minutes while others were sorted the moment the hat touched their head. The upper years looked dreadfully bored and resigned to this process, however.

Eventually, it was his turn.

"Harry Potter," Minerva called out. He had been prepared for the stares and the whispering that had broken out as he moved his way up to the platform and sat on the stool. The hat was soon placed on his head, and he began to ignore the excited and intrigued faces of the student body as another presence entered his mind.

"_Well, well, well_," said an ancient voice.

"_It has been quite some time since I have seen such a mind as yours. And oh, what's this? You have bonded to a snake! I have never been connected to two minds before. Nice to know I can still be surprised."_ The Hat was delighted.

Harry was momentarily stunned into silence by this quite unusual sensation in his head. It was like an echo that seemed to come from the very depths of his mind, an itch that he wouldn't even know where to begin to scratch.

"_Hello…. Mr. Hat_?" He ventured cautiously. Kaa was silent and observing everything. He would add his thoughts about what transpired to Harry later.

"_Mr. Potter_," as his acknowledgment was returned.

"_I know placing you will be difficult if left to myself now that I know your mind - … I will likely need your input in this matter. The fate of the world could depend on which house you go into, between you and me_."

That did it. Harry went wide-eyed.

"_You know the prophecy_?" Harry asked incredulously?

"_Dumbledore is fond of thinking out loud, but I can't be more specific because I am bound never to reveal anyone else's secrets._" The hat replied very matter-of-factly.

Harry thought for a second, "_But_ _you still want to tell me something_?" Thinking the hat was trying to give him a hint in a round about sort of way.

"_I wish to tell you many things, Mr. Potter. Vital things. But, alas, I can only give you a warning." _The hat said sadly.

"_I will take whatever you can give me._" It was a very honest and sincere statement. Harry didn't know how he felt about all of this; it sounded like the hat was stored in Dumbledore's office. What or who could the hat be trying to warn him about? Dumbledore? The prophecy?

"_Be wary of who you trust explicitly. Some have only your best interests at heart and would do anything to help you, while others still have great intentions but may not always act in your best interests_." The hat was giving him as much as he could.

"_Thank you, Mr. Hat_."

'So it was more or less Dumbledore,' he decided. From what he knew from his books and from what he had seen, Dumbledore was incredibly powerful and had stood up to Grindlewald and again had stood as a rallying point against Voldemort. He could see how leaders like that sometimes had hard decisions to make and sometimes the pressure affected them adversely. They felt like they and they alone were entrusted to make the important decisions, unwilling to let others in.

"_Don't think I'm not grateful, but why tell me anything at all? Is this just because of the prophecy?_" It was curious and he was now trying to think as fast as he could, knowing that they still had to sort him. He had to take advantage of talking to this hat.

"_I have lived hundreds of years and have sat on the heads of most of wizarding Britain and very few things attract my attention since I am not permitted to interact with anyone again. I suppose you could say I am talking to you because I knew of you before you came because of the prophecy. However, think about everyone that I could have sorted. If you knew what someone was truly capable of, but couldn't warn anyone, and then you suddenly had a chance to make some small, perhaps not insignificant difference, wouldn't you take it?_" The Hat allowed Harry a few seconds.

"_You sorted Voldemort_ _and you finally found a way to intervene._" Harry stated more than asked. It made sense now. The hat couldn't warn anyone about what he had saw in that mind, and had sorted countless students since that could have met their deaths at his hand. But he knew that Harry was coming and was involved with Voldemort and so could intervene because Harry had already known much of it. Besides, vague warnings hardly counted as revealing someone's secrets if you were trying to work within confined limits.

"_You would do well in Ravenclaw, Mr. Potter. One more thing before we get to the sorting. My Magic and awareness comes from the four founders who left an imprint in me – much like a wizard painting. I am a combination of them and their thoughts and their desires. And I am tied to this castle, which they built. There are many secrets here and there and places just waiting to be discovered or rediscovered. It is already a boon that you have this map, though I'll wager some parts of the castle are not on it. For not everyone can access certain parts if they cannot ssssssspeak the langage. Keep your eyes open and try to feel your way around. You never know who or what you could discover." _The Hat hinted.

It was his Salazar heritage that had also wanted to act. After sitting on the head of so many muggle-borns, he had simply changed his mind. He also knew what Tom had done with the chamber; he had found it and unleashed the horror within. Salazar wished he had never created the chamber and placed the basilisk in it in the first place. He wanted to and needed to try and put a stop to it and Harry was his best chance. He was already bound to a powerful serpent and used him nobly – he hoped Harry would be able to rein in the basilisk as well.

"_Ok… so, in my spare time I should try and find secret rooms that I could access using parseltongue_?"

Was the Hat really telling him to snoop around? He would have to play close attention... 'hmmmm,' he thought. His memory was pulling him towards something familiar that he had read in _Hogwarts: A History_.

It clicked. "_You want me to find the Chamber of Secrets! It Exists_?"

"_Precisely… Let's move on. We don't have that much time left before people will start to get suspicious. I imagine, you could earn a little more time simply because you are the boy-who-lived and could go into any house… I see you have given this much thought and I would agree with many of the things you have already decided. So, I will leave this up to you… Where do you want to be? Think wisely_."

So Harry was getting the choice in the end. He had anticipated getting a chance to speak, Remus had practically told him so. But to choose where he wanted to go by himself: that was slightly unexpected, though not unwelcomed.

"_Well, I do agree with you in that I could go to any of the four houses. Gryffindor would be wonderful because that is where I am expected to go, I think. It would be nice to be where my parents and Remus were. Minnie would also be a fantastic Head of House… I-I try to have courage and be brave with everything in front of me. And I want to do the right thing, but should I do something just because it is expected of me_?"

Harry asked the Hat.

"_Are we ruling out Gryffindor then, Mr. Potter_?"

"_Yes, I don't think it would help me being where I would be expected to go, unable to explore the other parts of my personality. And I'm not sure that house even represents the greatest part of me_." Harry was doing the hard thing – he so wanted to be closer to his parents.

"_Very well, and the others_?" The Sorting Hat moved along the conversation.

"_Ravenclaw would be out for similar reasons. Sure, I love learning and knowledge but that's not the greatest part of me either… I don't know if I even have one part of me that is bigger or more pronounced than another. I like applying what I learn and using it, not just knowing it. I'm afraid that being in Ravenclaw would hinder my path ahead… I have things I must do and it would be harder to focus on my task in that environment. Though, I suppose it could help in gaining access to knowledge to fight Voldemort – it just may not balance out the other distractions_."

If he didn't have this prophecy to contend with, he did think Ravenclaw would have been perfect for him. It certainly suited his nature.

"_I agree with that, Mr. Potter. All of it_." The Hat was glad that Harry was very intelligent but was given hope with discovering just how much maturity he had as well. It wouldn't help the young man if he couldn't handle the pressures of his journey ahead.

Harry kept going.

"_That would leave Hufflepuff and Slytherin. I think it could be beneficial being in Slytherin. If that's where Voldemort went, I would be able to understand his mind better. See what he saw and see what shaped him. However, I know that it would hinder my ability going forward. I would have to deal with the politics of that house and I don't think I have the time for that. I would never be left alone to deal with what needs to be done. However, I will need every ounce of cunning I possess to help defeat Voldemort and Slytherin could help me hone that_."

He changed gears.

"_And Hufflepuff, I feel initially it would be a shock to everyone. No one would think of me to go there. I would have no expectations in that house. I could use that to my favor, though I will have to suffer that House's reputation as the place for those who didn't sort into another. Which is sad, when loyalty and hard work can get you far in life, and I think I will need both. I think in the end that is where I will be happiest. I don't think I could go through this alone; I will need help and friends and may find some true ones in there. Neville was sorted into that house. And besides, how funny would it be if there were a parseltongue in Hufflepuff? I could only imagine the shock it would have on Slytherin. It could also help to take that negative association of only evil wizards having it away from that trait. I think that is my decision. Hufflepuff. I could fly under the radar and concentrate on the task ahead_."

But Harry wasn't finished.

"_And more than those reasons, I now see what Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga have taught me. I need to know my own strength and weakness. Hufflepuff in this moment and in the foreseeable future fits me. I need to make my own way in this life despite the tasks ahead. And while Hufflepuff certainly gives me the clearest shot at being able to accomplish this, I know that at my core, these traits define me better than the others. Perhaps I could even find someone to be at my side if I survive all of this_." Harry was finished with his point of view.

"_Well put, Mr. Potter_. _I think that is a wise decision. You have a hard journey ahead. But, I think you will find a home in Hufflepuff_. _Though, I will caution you about rejecting help from others solely because you don't want to see them hurt. If they are aware of the dangers ahead, you should respect their choice to join you_. _Or else why are you going into Hufflepuff to begin with_?"

The Sorting Hat wanted to leave Harry with some lasting pieces of advice. He had seen deeply into Harry's mind and knew Harry would not let someone else sacrifice themselves for him, but he had to make Harry aware that that choice was not his to make. He had sat on enough minds to know these things about people.

At the staff table, Remus was getting nervous. Harry had been under the hat for almost 15 minutes. And while it wasn't a record, he couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. He would ask Harry about it later, but in this moment he really wanted to know. He would have guessed Harry to go into Slytherin or Ravenclaw if he was pressed to make a decision, knowing what he knew about the boy, but wouldn't have bet any gold because his chances were equally spread among the four houses. He honestly didn't know which way this would go.

He was trying very hard not to fidget in his chair and was just about to nudge Minerva on his right when the Hat called out.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

'Well that was something,' Remus thought, a Potter, in Hufflepuff! That had to have been a first. There was an audible grown from the Gryffindor table and some snickers coming from the Slytherin side. Harry had expected this, however. He knew what he was getting into and how his decision would be responded to. That was one of the reasons why he had made it!

He got off of the stool and held his head high and proudly approached the Hufflepuff table. It took his new house a few moments before they started cheering wildly and a few 'we got Potter' chants were heard.

Harry sat down and looked up to Remus who gave him a slight nod to his head while Minerva sighed slightly but also nodded. He knew she wanted him in her house.

He was quickly introduced to some of his fellow first years and soon, everyone else was sorted. Harry was happy to see that the boy he was sitting next to was Neville Longbottom, and they exchanged a few kind words. Kaa got the distinct impression, and Harry agreed, that Neville was worried for some reason.

Did he feel ashamed for getting sorted into Hufflepuff? Harry knew about his parents being tortured into insanity and were now permanent residents of a St. Mungos ward. Did Neville think he needed to go to Gryffindor to show his bravery like his parents had? That was silly. His parents had been brave, no doubt about that, but they had been extremely loyal to each other and their friends and had not given up any information. Harry did think that Neville was going to honor his parents; just maybe not in the way he thought he should.

Before they could continue talking, Dumbledore had stood up and let out some brief words of 'hello' and 'welcome' and something about empty minds waiting to be filled before starting dinner, which went by very quickly. Harry was inundated with others trying to socialize with him. He was starting to get peppered with questions and he was thankful when a prefect steered the conversation onto another topic. Harry was not used to being the center of attention and hope that everyone's interest in him would be over with quickly. It was also difficult trying not to squish Kaa, who had slithered into a pocket on the inside of his robe that Harry had had made to hold Kaa. It had a slight expansion charm on it and was slightly reinforced so that Kaa wouldn't be accidentally squished if something bumped into him. The great thing about their growing connection was that they could communicate telepathically still if Kaa was inside Harry's robes.

'_How are you doing, youngling_?' Kaa asked concernedly.

'_As well as can be expected, I didn't expect to have that conversation today with The Sorting Hat and I will have a lot to think about later… I am happy with my decision though. I wasn't expecting to be able to decide completely on my own_.'

If he were being honest with himself, he was feeling a little sad at not getting to go where he wanted, but then again, he had thought about it so much that he would probably be feeling this way regardless of which house he went into. Did he really know which house he would have chosen if he didn't have all of this weight on his shoulders or he hadn't over analyzed the situation? He had made the decision, there was no use wondering about it anymore, and it was put to rest.

Thankfully, dinner passed by quickly as everyone was in a haze of excitement and Dumbledore had a few more words once they were all watered and fed. The prefects were tasked with leading their houses back to their dorms. Harry was excited to see where he would be staying at Hogwarts – and he had a map to test out and hoped that there would be some privacy for him to start using it. He was also slightly worried about where Kaa would stay, and had resigned to being with him in his new Library trunk most of the time.

His new trunk that he got, which had set him back 5000 galleons, contained a library that was twice the size of his other one – and came with a small apartment. There was a comfortable bedroom and sitting area and a small kitchenette where Harry had stored several months worth of mice for Kaa. It wasn't ideal, but at least Kaa would be able to roam about in privacy and not worry about someone seeing him.

Their dorms were located next to the kitchens in the bowels of the castle, which were right below the Great Hall. Their dormitory was the closest one to the main hub of the castle and Harry was glad that it was centrally located. To get into their house, they had to bang on the tops of various barrels in a precise order or risk not getting in and being doused with vinegar as a result. Thankfully, it wasn't too difficult of a pattern.

Their common room was really warm and cozy and decorated in black and yellow, which went very nicely with his cloak. There were many couches and chairs configured for both large and small groups to sit at. Multiple fireplaces were also strewn about to keep them comfortable and warm with all of that cold and harsh stone surrounding them, though there were magnificently embroidered tapestries and plush rugs littered about. The walls had also been charmed to show various parts of the castle grounds since they were below ground – at least Harry thought they were.

Professor Sprout, their Head of House, was present and wanted to say a few words on their first night and officially welcome them into the fold.

"Welcome to Huffelpuff," she practically sang. Sprout had plump cheeks and a round figure and was a little short with an extremely cheery disposition. Harry wondered whether it was possible for her to ever frown – he thought it would take a lot to get her spirits down.

"Now, tomorrow would normally be a school day as it is a Monday. But we usually like to give a day to relax before the term starts – to get you adjusted to your surroundings and what not. Tomorrow, you will get your class schedules and term begins on Tuesday."

Excited whispering began among the first years, while the older years had expected this.

When she saw there were no questions she continued.

"Now, fifth, sixth, and seventh years each have a male and female prefect to assist the house and you can go to them with any questions. My door is always open, but I encourage you to go to them first. Puffs are known for their work ethic and loyalty and I will be most displeased should I see someone slacking off or turning their backs to someone in need." She finished with the most menacing look she could muster – which had the effect of looking like a confused teddy bear.

Harry really had to resist the urge to snort. He was going to like this woman.

She pointed out where their dormitories were and Harry was excited to discover that everyone got their own room. Remus had mentioned that Gryffindors shared a dormitory among each year. An older student had then explained to Harry that since Ravenclaw and Gryffindor got the views because they were in towers, Slytherins and Hufflepuffs got their own rooms to even it out. They also had more space to work with, but that was neither here nor there.

Harry didn't care what the reason was. This way, Kaa wouldn't have to hide all the time in his trunk and could roam free in Harry's room.

Harry quickly went to the room that was assigned to him and was delighted to see his trunks had already been brought up to the castle. The rest of his belongings that he had carried with him were quickly deposited and he repositioned his trunks in his new room to rest against the wall, side-by-side. His small room consisted of a comfortable looking single bed with a black comforter that had a badger embroidered on it with yellow highlights and a yellow trim. He had a small wooden dresser and a well-worn desk that was just right for one person, though it came with an uncomfortable looking chair.

Harry figured he would be doing most of his work inside one of his two libraries, depending on what he would be working on. He was still extremely pleased with the privacy this individual room would provide for him and Kaa. It would be nice not having to worry whether someone would ask questions for why he had two trunks and went into them all of the time. It would also be beneficial not to worry about accidentally bringing up his notes regarding Voldemort or horcruxes - or some of his darker books that he had brought with him from Grimmauld Place under the noses of Walburga and Orion.

Kreacher couldn't refuse a direct order to retrieve the books that Harry had specifically requested, though he would try to never abuse his power over the elf.

He changed into a comfortable pair of pajamas and had laid Kaa out on his bed. He then busied himself with putting a few more things away being he too stretched out on his bed and brought forth the Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." He intoned as he pointed his wand in the center of the map.

His eyes were darting around the parchment, hopeful to see a change this time.

_Messrs_

_Moony, Wormtail,_

_Padfoot, & Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical_

_Mischief-Makers_

_are proud to present_

_THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

He stared longingly at the mention of Prongs and Moony. It had taken Harry some time to reverse his abhorrence of Sirius and he still had mixed feelings about him. On one hand, Sirius didn't betray his family, and Harry really didn't care that he had killed Pettigrew. What bothered him was the thought of killing 13 innocent people – that was just not justifiable. Wormtail had deserved what had happened to him and he was a traitor that had cost people their lives. He felt no remorse or pity for him.

Harry snapped out of his thoughts and focused on the parchment again and opened it up to reveal a complete blueprint of every room – 'well not every room,' Harry thought dryly if he now had to find this Chamber of Secrets – and noted who was there.

It was amazing; all the rooms close to him were bedrooms and he could see the names of some of his fellow Hufflepuffs that he had just sorted with. 'Neville Longbottom' was right next to him and 'Zacharias Smith' was across from him with 'Justin Finch-Fletchley' on his right. He looked around to where the first year girl dormitories were and saw 'Hannah Abbott' and 'Susan Bones' among them. He traced his way back to the common room and saw that it was sparsely populated as it was getting late and everyone was full and tired from the day's journey. A few people were still there, the name 'Cedric Diggory' jumped out at him.

Time passed by rapidly as Harry studied different portions of the castle and noting the various routes that he could take to get here or there. He had checked in on Minerva and Remus who were seated in their own rooms, or sleeping – now that he thought about it - he didn't think he could determine whether someone was sitting or lying down.

Dumbledore seemed to be a pacer as his name just kept going around his desk in a circle. Over and over again.

He had blushed when he caught two people in a random part of the castle who looked to be in a broom closet. He was old enough to know what they were doing.

The other common rooms were also scanned and he had spent time noting where he could have been placed within Slytherin and Ravenclaw and was again glad for his single room when he saw five of the first year Ravenclaw boys sharing a room.

Finally, he moved to the Gryffindor Tower and checked in on the first years and noted some of the names as he had done with the others. 'Seamus Finnigen, Dean Thomas, Ron Weasley, Peter Pettigrew…'

'Peter Pettigrew, PETER PETTIGREW!' His eyes bulged and his breathing became shallow as his heart started racing.

"It's not possible…" He whispered again and again.

Could there have been someone else with the same name? Could the map be wrong? He needed Remus and he needed him now. A minute was taken to calm him down so that he could think rationally.

'What do I need,' he thought. He got Kaa and his invisibility cloak and ran from the room with his map in hand. It was after curfew and he figured he may have to use his cloak to get to Remus and needed the map to direct him.

He had raced down to the common room, barely looking out for anyone as he had seen that most students were in their rooms. The next thing he knew was that he had slammed into someone quite hard and they had tumbled to the ground. Limbs and arms were tangled and Harry had ended up on top of the unknown person. Whoever it had been was much taller and bigger than he was.

Both had remained still for a few moments to recover from getting the wind knocked out of them. Kaa was hissing slightly but had managed to avoid being hit as he was on Harry's arm. Harry had soon had his breath under control to stand up and had immediately begun to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I am in a hurry and didn't see you… Are you Ok? I'm so sorry." Harry said very quickly as he offered to help the other boy up.

A small grunt was heard as the other boy hoisted himself up with Harry's help. He was definitely taller and had broad shoulders. Harry would have guessed a third or fourth year. He had short and messy sandy colored hair with grey eyes and chiseled facial features that made him very handsome.

"It's Ok, don't worry about it, just slow down in the future. Where are you headed to in such a hurry anyways? Most everyone should be in bed by now."

The boy with grey eyes paused a moment to look Harry over.

"Harry Potter, right?"

Harry shook his head; he had momentarily forgot where he had been heading in such a rush when the other boy smiled.

"Cedric Diggory, pleased to meet you."

Cedric offered his hand and harry tentatively shook it. A jolt of warmth spread through his body, much like when Kaa was attached to him. Cedric noticed it as well as his eyes widened ever so slightly. Their handshake lingered longer than normal, as both were slow to remove their hands from the unexpected but comforting sensation. He didn't have long to think about what had just happened or how great a smile Cedric had because of Cedric's next question.

"Where are you headed to, again?"

Harry began to tense up as the stress of what he had discovered returned.

"I need to see Remus, er, Professor Lupin immediately. He is my guardian and this is very important."

Cedric thought for a moment.

"Well, I don't like you walking out there by yourself given that it is past curfew, and you don't know where Professor Lupin's rooms are. I will take you if it's that important and timely. It would take time to go get a prefect. Besides, Professor Sprout likes to see us helping each other out."

Harry thought for a moment. 'This way, I won't have to explain how I could find Remus' rooms and it would be nice to not walk in these dark halls alone.'

"Ok, but we need to hurry." Harry accepted the handsome boy's help.

They exited the common room and Cedric led Harry to where the Defense Against The Dark Art's classes were held, which were very close to Remus's personal quarters.

Cedric had asked about Harry's day so far and what he thought of the castle. He was even more interested in what his conversation with The Sorting Hat was like.

"Oh, we were chatting on where I could go… I have qualities that would see me in any house. We had to get nitpicky." Harry had replied honestly.

A small smile appeared on his lips as he was enjoying getting to know this other boy. Kaa had commented on how the other boy seemed to have calmed Harry down, somewhat. He thought it was interesting.

Cedric didn't have a chance to ask another question because they arrived and Harry started knocking on the door.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Remus had seen the look on his face and immediately knew that something important had happened.

"Mr. Diggory, thank you for…" was all Remus could get out before Harry had shoved the map centered on the Gryffindor Tower right in front of him.

His eyes took on a yellow tinge and his knuckles had turned white where he was holding onto the map. He looked to Harry.

"Stay here, I must go to Dumbledore and call for Amelia Bones. Mr. Diggory, may I impose on you to remain with Harry until I return? This is extremely important." Remus had to practically restrain himself from cursing in front of the boys.

"Of course, Sir" Cedric was slightly startled at the immediate change in the defense professor.

Remus regained some measure of control because he hugged Harry and whispered in his ear that he would get to the bottom of this before bolting out the door.

Harry didn't know what to think. He didn't know what this meant. Was Pettigrew alive? So then Sirius didn't kill him? But that led to questions about whether Sirius had killed those 13 muggles or if they were alive too. Why was Pettigrew even here? That didn't make any sense – why come out of hiding. His head was spinning and he was starting to hyperventilate from the rapid-fire rate in which he was asking questions.

He had started to hyperventilate slightly when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Harry, are you Ok?" Cedric had genuine concern in his eyes.

Harry shook his head slightly from side to side as he tried to get his breathing under control.

Cedric felt bad, he knew whatever it was had seriously affected Harry and he had never seen Remus so livid, or anyone for that matter. Cedric decided to not press Harry for answers and to give the younger boy what support he could.

Harry involuntarily turned into Cedric's body and he was soon enveloped into a supportive hug. Cedric was trying to rub small circles into his back.

'_Youngling, Remus is dealing with this. Whatever happens, it will be Ok. There is no sense worrying over something that you have no control over_.'

'_I know, it was just momentarily overwhelming. I want to know what is going on_.'

"Whatever it is Harry, Remus is dealing with it. And if he is going to Dumbledore and Amelia Bones, you know it will get done."

"Who is Amelia Bones?" Harry asked as he became conscious of being so close to the other boy and took a step back and then moved over to the couch and sat. Cedric followed him.

"Amelia is the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Cedric didn't want to get involved but he was curious about why Amelia would need to be summoned. His curiosity got the better of him.

Harry sighed. He was torn. He felt so much calmer around Cedric and being with him was very easy, but he didn't really know anything about him. Nor did he know what was really going on.

"I gave Remus some information that I had just found out that shouldn't exist and he went to investigate. I know some things but they are kind of personal. I expect whatever it is will be in the papers, and if you still want to know, we can talk about it then? I appreciate you bringing me here."

"Hey, don't worry about that. Puffs take care of each other. I didn't mean to pry."

Cedric leaned back into the couch and both were silent for a few minutes.

Cedric then started to try and get Harry's mind focused on other things and began telling him all about the classes he would take and what to expect and about Quidditch. Harry found out that Cedric would be going out for the house team this year. Harry appreciated Cedric's attempt at distracting him and he let himself become enchanted with how he talked and the way his voice sounded. But most of all, his laugh was wonderful.

Minutes turned into hours and soon, they both had fallen asleep on the couch, Harry's head resting on Cedric's shoulder.

Remus was returning to his room in the early morning, his mind reeling with the information they had just uncovered. It had taken longer than he had originally thought when he had left Harry and Cedric because the information they had stumbled upon needed to be dealt with immediately.

Remus saw that the boys were sleeping peacefully on the couch. Cedric was lying in a reclined position with his head against the armrest to the sofa and Harry's head was now resting on his chest. It looked like they had fallen asleep while sitting and then had just fallen to the right. Remus didn't have it in him to wake Harry at this hour. How could he? He couldn't face telling Harry this awful news about his Godfather being wrongfully imprisoned. The boy had been through enough lately.

Remus sighed, 'It's just one thing after another with him.'

He would have to tell him in the morning. It would be all over the front page of the Prophet by then. 'And on his first full day at Hogwarts,' he thought sadly. Harry already had a lot of attention placed on him and this would undoubtedly add to it.

The werewolf retired to his study and took some very generous gulps of firewhiskey as he knew he would find no sleep tonight.

"Sirius, I am so sorry…" he whispered out loud.

The boys had woken up early considering the position they slept in wasn't exactly the most comfortable.

Harry was slightly embarrassed by the position he was in but Cedric didn't seemed to be phased by it. A few stretches and yawns later found them wandering into Remus' study where he was looking out the window.

"Remus…" Harry started.

It was easy to see that something had happened that had shaken the man to his very core. His eyes were red and his face looked haggard.

His hoarse voice, burnt from the firewhiskey, tried to respond.

"Harry…" was all he could get out before the tears started again. Tears for his friend that had suffered in Azkaban. Tears for hearing the full betrayal from someone he had been so close to. Tears for Harry who would soon find all of this out.

Harry had gone to Remus and was pulled into a fierce hug as he was trying to gain control over his emotions. Harry expected that, yet again, something was going to rock his world.

Remus gathered what strength he could and whispered in Harry's ears, "Sirius is innocent of everything."

Cedric could only watch the scene unfold feeling like he didn't belong. This was something private amongst family and there was nothing for him to do. He turned around and exited Remus' quarters and made his way slowly to the Great Hall for breakfast.

'Poor Harry,' was the only thing on his mind.

There were a few people around at this hour, most taking the chance to sleep in one last time before term started. Cedric sat down on the table and was enjoying his breakfast of oatmeal and raisins when the morning post was delivered. The Daily Prophet, that his father insisted that he read, was prominently displayed. He didn't even have to move anything to read the headline:

**_Peter Pettigrew Found Alive: Sirius Black To Get Trial!_**

**I had so much fun writing The Sorting Hat! I loved that song.**

**Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!**


	9. The Day Before Classes

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, this chapter gets some things settled with for Harry and he will soon begin to have an easier time with things.

Let me know what you think. I love reviews, especially the ones that provide helpful critiques :)

Posted 2/28/15

Harry stayed with Remus for the entire day. Once Remus had calmed down to the point where he was too spent to shed any more tears, he filled Harry in on what had happened. Harry understood more than anyone what Remus was going through; this man's life was changing just as quickly as Harry's.

He led Harry by the hand into the living area to sit on the couch for this conversation. This would be a sensitive discussion and since Remus didn't know where to begin, he thought Harry would appreciate knowing why he had acted the way he did when Harry had first shown him the map and then move on from there.

"Harry – one thing that you should know is that the map never lies. I saw his name and knew at once that it was no trick – there is no Gryffindor currently enrolled by the name Peter Pettigrew."

Harry's line of reasoning had been validated in thinking someone else could have innocently shared that name. However, it was nice to know that this map would not play any jokes on him. It was a very powerful artifact – no artifacts if he counted his cloak – which he now possessed.

Remus continued on.

"After I left you I went straight to Dumbledore and told him about the map and what it indicated. I told him that we should have aurors, our police force, on hand and suggested Amelia Bones, who is the head of The Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Dumbledore agreed given the severity of the situation and he quickly called for her and also for Severus and Minerva."

Remus paused to see how Harry was doing so far.

"I'm Ok, Remus, really. I just want to know the whole story." At this point, Harry was getting used to all of these revelations and just preferred to get them dealt with so he could process it and move on.

Harry fidgeted slightly and broke contact with Remus' hand to run his own hands through his hair, shaking off the lingering sleepiness and preparing himself to the answers that he was about to get to some of his questions.

"First, Amelia takes her job very seriously. Her niece is Susan Bones, who I believe was also sorted into Hufflepuff, and she came at once after Dumbledore's brief explanation of the events."

Harry had been aware of fire-calling and the floo network and Remus didn't have to describe these forms of wizarding communication and travel to him.

"When we were all gathered in his office. We discussed the situation and Minerva was asked why the name Peter Pettigrew had been next to Ron Weasley's name since she is the head of Gryffindor house. She remarked that the only thing she could think of was that the newest Weasley had brought a rat as a pet."

Remus shifted in his chair and rubbed his eyes with his hands.

"Harry, you know the nicknames that we used with each other – and they were related to the animals that we transformed into – willingly or unwillingly in my case. Peter's name was wormtail because he could turn into a rat. It suddenly became clear and I informed them that he was an unregistered animagus; they didn't question how I knew that because of how close we had been."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"We walked to Gryffindor tower and I disillusioned myself and crept into their dormitory while they were all sleeping. We didn't want to risk alerting Peter that we were onto him by all going in and I went in since I had known him best while the others stood guard. I stunned the rat and placed him in an unbreakable box and we carried him back to Dumbledore's office with no one the wiser."

Remus stood up, unable to sit for this part of the tale.

"Now, there are spells that exist that can revert an animagus back into human form. We removed him from the box and soon Pettigrew was restrained to a chair and woken up. At this point, Amelia suggested that the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge be informed at once. She knew that he would need to be here for the interrogation if anything was going to be done about Sirius. I had filled them in about your parent's letter mentioning that they switched from Sirius to Pettigrew to be the secret keeper. Snape went to retrieve a truth potion called veritaserum, which compels the user to tell the truth and renders them unable to lie. However, we were not expecting the extent to what Pettigrew soon revealed."

Remus paused to take a sip of coffee from a breakfast platter one of the house elves had brought since it was noticed that both were missing from breakfast. He encouraged Harry to eat some of the scones but all Harry could stomach right now was some tea.

"Pettigrew confessed everything. How he was the secret keeper and that he betrayed your parents to The Dark Lord."

Remus was looking into Harry's eyes at the mention of the betrayal and had moved over to Harry in case he needed comfort.

"It's Ok, Remus. Well, I mean… it's not Ok what happened to them. Being betrayed by someone they thought was their friend is horrible, beyond words. I never got to know them because of it. But, I made peace with it. Back when I thought it had been Sirius. I had to… with everything that has been going on. I can't remain in the past when so much depends on right now and the future…"

A slow sigh escaped Harry's lips and he leaned towards Remus so that his head was resting on his guardian's shoulder.

"I would have liked to have known them, but there's still hope. I have their letters and, hopefully, they have a portrait in Gringotts. It may not be much, but it means everything to me. It's all I have."

At this, a single tear fell down Harry's cheek. He had moved on from the betrayal, no matter who had caused it. He had liked to think that Magic allowed his parents to watch over him and he would do his best to remind himself that their blood flowed through his veins. He couldn't let his mind get trapped on what could have been – because, deep down, he was afraid he would never be able to return to the present.

Some time passed before Remus continued his tale; he was more concerned with using his left hand to rub Harry's neck. He never expected to have a charge to look after – and most of the time he didn't know what to do. Especially when he himself was hurting immensely on the inside. He had lost his entire life too. But most of all, he hated that Harry had such weight, such a burden on his shoulders that he couldn't take away. That this young man had had to grow up as fast as he did was difficult for Remus to accept. He was afraid that Harry would be isolated by his peers because he couldn't relate to them – their problems were miles below where Harry's started. And while he was glad that Harry seemed to have the mental capacity and maturity to deal with everything, there was only so much a person, any person, could take before the overwhelming weight of it all would become overbearing and break them.

Knowing that he needed to be there for Harry was the only thing that kept him going right now; Harry's needs were more important than his.

Remus didn't know how to continue, and told Harry as much. Harry suggested Remus, 'just remove the bandaid as quick as possible so they could process it, deal with it, and move on.'

And that was what Remus did.

"The Dark Lord had cornered Pettigrew one night and tortured him for information, asking about the whereabouts of Sirius and your parents. Pettigrew had cowered in fear and made a deal to spare his life in exchange for providing information. He told The Dark Lord everything and that he willingly joined his side after seeing his display of power; he didn't think how anyone could challenge it. Then that night happened…"

Remus squeezed Harry's hand.

"According to Pettigrew, Sirius tracked him down the next day in a busy street in London. He was enraged and Pettigrew saw an out, his only out since he couldn't hope to match Sirius in a duel, and took it. He put on a show for the many witnesses and had screamed that Sirius had betrayed James and Lily, before faking his death by blasting a large crater in the ground behind him and transforming into a rat. Now, the only thing they had found was a finger that had belonged to Pettigrew and a manic Sirius, who no doubt had gone into shock at being bested by Pettigrew after just losing your parents. When the aurors arrived, he was sitting on the ground rocking back and forth chanting madly, 'I did it, I killed them.'"

Remus had to take a deep breath as the tears were threatening to return.

"I think that Sirius was feeling guilty for not being the secret keeper. I bet he had convinced James and Lily to switch to Peter at the last minute, because no one would have thought that anyone but Sirius would have been entrusted with that power. He was taken to Azkaban without a trial because his ramblings were seen as an admission of guilt."

Harry had gotten up from the couch and had walked over to get a scone. Remus suspected it was more for something to do to keep his brain from thinking too much about these events.

"Pettigrew then informed everyone that he had gone down into the sewers to think about his next plan. He needed to be out of the way but close enough to get continual information and he chose a wizarding family based on being too disorganized to think too much about a rat like him. He went with The Weasleys, who never seemed to notice how long this particular rat seemed to live – not with as many children as they have. Ron Weasley, a Gryffindor now and the youngest son, brought him to Hogwarts as a pet and that was why you saw him in the dormitories."

"I see," Harry supplied half-heartily, truly tired of how things had been going. He was at the point where the past month had been a constant rollercoaster and he was over it. He didn't have it in him to be surprised or shocked or anything, really. So much had happened that his brain just wasn't able to process it anymore.

"So what's going to happen, Remus?" Harry asked going through the motions of putting preserves on his scone that he had been playing with for over five minutes. If anyone had walked in they would have thought Harry was eating Jam that he had coated in a scone.

"Amelia and The Minister agreed that Sirius would get a formal trial by putting Pettigrew on the stand. It is more to improve Sirius' reputation than anything. The sentiment when he was put away was that he was The Dark Lord's right hand man, and a trial will help show he was innocent and Pettigrew is the guilty one. They will give Pettigrew more veritaserum at the trial and he will tell his tale again, Sirius won't even have to talk or really be there."

The next part was going to be difficult for Remus to say.

"Harry…"

Harry looked up and Remus went over to the table and sat down next to him.

"There is a good chance that staying in Azkaban will have done some permanent damage to Sirius. The dementors that are there will have forced him to relive all of his worst nightmares again and again. Some prisoners go mad there after a year… it is likely Sirius will be in no position to take his place as your Godfather and will be going to St. Mungos to see mind healers and receive treatment, if any can even be given."

"Oh… " Harry was in shock, both from hearing this and from lack of sleep. This wizard's prison really seemed a very worse alternative to anything the muggles had ever come up with, even some forms of torture. And that was saying something.

Remus needed to get Harry thinking about some of the good things that were going on in his life and tried steering the topic onto more positive themes.

"Now, you know we put in paperwork to make me your official guardian?"

Harry nodded.

"The thing is: if me being a werewolf were to ever become known, I could no longer be responsible for you – there are laws against it."

This was slightly going against his hope for a better conversation, but needed to make Harry aware of this and then he could mention what he hoped would better Harry's spirits.

Harry had nodded his head though his disgust at that vile and bigoted law was evident in his facial expression.

Remus had mentioned this to Harry before – but now things were slightly different. Remus would always be there for Harry, but Sirius would also need someone to look after him. He needed to make sure that no matter what happened, Harry would always be taken care of – and he would do everything in his power to make sure of that.

"After Amelia and Cornelius left to inform The Daily Prophet, the four of us talked about adding another guardian to the paperwork. Just in case something happened to me."

Remus wanted to take this slow and not cause Harry to have any more unnecessary shocks or discomfort.

"How do you feel about that, Harry? Do you have a preference? Minerva and even Snape mentioned they would be more than willing."

Remus hoped to show Harry how much other people cared about him. The most important thing to Remus was Harry and he was desperate to comfort his cub.

Harry didn't know how to feel. It had been an adjustment going from life at The Dursleys where he had never really had an advocate, someone to fight for him, to Grimmauld Place and basically gaining a family. And now he had multiple people to choose from to be his surrogate parents. He had multiple people to choose from that wanted to look out for him.

"I suppose Minnie-"

Remus snorted.

"I mean, Minerva." Harry said quickly.

"Please don't tell her I said that."

Though Harry really wasn't sorry, especially considering that if she was one of his guardians than it would be understandable that he had an endearing name for her.

"You certainly are James' son – and I will keep that between us, and make the necessary changes." He ran his fingers through Harry's untamed mop of hair.

Harry smiled at Remus. They began talking about how the week was going to unfold. Specifically, when would the trial be and when would Sirius be home.

"I'm not sure how long this will take, Harry. I know The Minister will want to be seen as being proactive and correcting a past wrong – he will not want to be associated with any of the wrongdoing. I do know that Sirius is being removed from Azkaban now and will go to St. Mungos for treatment. I don't know how long that will take. His presence at the trial, again, will be a formality. Pettigrew will be the one getting grilled. I expect it to be this weekend… The details may already be in The Prophet."

On that note, Remus called for a House Elf and asked if there was a copy of The Prophet floating around somewhere that he could have.

A squeak and a pop later and Remus had that morning's edition. As he expected, the announcement had been a bombshell.

It seemed that Rita Skeeter had been involved with the reporting. He hesitated showing Harry as he had wanted to make sure Rita's inflammatory style had not done unnecessary harm, but Harry would have none of that babying or sugarcoating and gave Remus a look that said, 'try it.'

So together they read through the article.

**_Peter Pettigrew Found Alive: Sirius Black To Get Trial!_**

By Rita Skeeter

_ My dear readers, brace yourself for what I am about to tell you. Last night, I was enjoying a late cup of tea at home when I had a floo request from The Minister of Magic and The Director of the DMLE! I was momentarily caught off guard by their unexpected presence but immediately let them through. They were firm that they wanted to get to the bottom of this and my jaw was soon on the floor with shock at what they told me. Peter Pettigrew had just been found, alive, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Apparently, he had been an unregistered animagus, a serious thing in and of itself, and had found refuge with a wizarding family for 10 years and had been brought to school this year as a pet!_

_ Pettigrew was interrogated by Hogwarts' staff; led by none other than Albus Dumbledore and Amelia Bones representing The Ministry. Cornelius Fudge and Amelia Bones had both been summoned immediately to act as a witness after Peter had been discovered. I am told he confessed shocking and dreadful things while under veritaserum, a ministry-controlled substance, and something you cannot lie under._

_ I must warn you that his confession is heartbreaking! Peter Pettigrew betrayed James and Lily Potter and gave their location to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This betrayal was made even worse because The Potters had used a Fidelius Charm to go into hiding. Now, a Fidelius Charm is old and powerful Magic and allows a secret to be stored in someone's very soul. In this case, the secret was where The Potters had gone into hiding. Only Pettigrew, being the secret keeper could tell someone and let them in on the secret. It was thought that Sirius Black had been the secret keeper, but other evidence confirms that Pettigrew was in fact the one trusted with their safety. Such betrayal to come from someone you entrusted the life of your family to is the lowest of lows._

_ Now, another shocker: Sirius didn't kill anyone that day in London: again, it was Pettigrew! Peter confessed to using a variant of the Bombarda Curse to create a crater in the street where 13 muggles died and then transformed into a rat and took to the sewers!_

_ How sensational these turn of events. A formal trial will be scheduled this Saturday for Pettigrew to be put away and for Sirius to be officially declared innocent. Sirius will be re-cooperating from his unfortunate stay in Azkaban at St Mungos, but it remains unclear if he will be able to perform his duties as Godfather of Harry James Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived._

_ One may ask: how did Sirius get sentenced to Azkaban? Minister Fudge and Director Bones discovered that he didn't have a trial in the first place! It was likely that he was found at the scene of the crime during a time when it was best to ask questions after the fact – though in his case, he was simply forgotten and wasted away his best years in Azkaban._

_ The Minister wanted to make it clear that a thorough investigation of all prisoners in Azkaban will be started immediately to make sure that previous errors from prior administrations were caught. Cornelius has vowed to protect the safety of Wizarding Britain and ensure that the right thing was done and will always be done._

_ One has to ask how Harry Potter feels in all of this? To know that your Godfather was falsely imprisoned and might be unable to be there for you… To know that a good friend of your parents betrayed them in such a manner… The poor boy._

_ I will of course be providing a recap of the trial and will provide any updates to this unexpected and shocking event._

''That cow,'' Remus thought out loud.

"Well, that is one way to put it." Harry uttered very matter-of-factly.

"She certainly has a way of infusing scandal into the most mundane of stories, she must have had difficulty containing all of the drool that no doubt appeared with this debacle…"

Though to be honest, Remus had expected the article to be much worse. The best he could figure was that the story had been so outlandish that she didn't need to embellish anything.

"Don't think I'm taking Rita's advice, Harry" Remus said seriously, "but, how are you doing with all of this? Everyone in school will know soon or very shortly these details."

Harry considered it for a moment. While it was something that he wasn't particularly pleased about, far from it actually, he didn't see anything that he could do about the situation.

"There isn't much I can do, Remus. It's not like this is new to me, well here, in the wizarding world – you know? I think being 'The Boy-Who-Lived' will persist for a lot longer than this, and hopefully this particular incident will be over with soon. Though I am not overly fond of leaving this room at the moment and facing everyone. I did bring my father's cloak and could make it back the Hufflepuff without too much trouble."

He looked to Remus, "What do you think I should do?"

"I think it would be wise to give it some time, but I think you should make an appearance at dinner. I can go and get your time table and then you can stay here or go back to Hufflepuff if you want until then."

Harry nodded.

"Ah, and before I forget," Remus pulled out a parchment from his pocket and handed it to Harry.

"I explained to Dumbledore that your father and I helped make that in our youth and it rightfully belongs to you. He was curious about it but you are the owner of it – and it would just end up returning to your vault if you were to be separated from it for an extended amount of time because of Lily's charm work. Though he does ask that you do not abuse the map."

He gave Harry his best Dumbledore expression, which had its intended effect of making Harry laugh. Pretending to have a long beard and stroking it contemplatively was enough to make anyone chuckle.

Harry was finally able to eat some breakfast while Remus went to retrieve his timetable. Harry had thanked Remus for everything and asked if _he_ was going to be Ok upon his return. Remus had replied that he would try to make it to St. Mungos tonight to see how Sirius was but he wasn't expecting much. However, what Remus needed right now was a nap; he was exhausted.

A hug from Remus and a quick check of the map to see what the least populated route was that he could take soon found Harry under his cloak and heading to Hufflepuff.

Harry removed the cloak when he was in his room and placed Kaa on the foot of his bed before retrieving his toiletry bag. He headed to the bathroom he shared with the other first year boys, who were off exploring the castle together. Harry stepped under the warm water and just let the water soak into his skin for a few minutes, reveling in the relaxing sensation. He quickly washed himself and exited the bathroom, not wanting to chance someone happening upon him – he wasn't in the mood to deal with others quite yet.

He changed into some comfortable clothes and climbed into bed and concentrated on clearing his mind and sorting through all of the new memories and dealing with a few of the old ones. He had decided that he would not try and sort through all of his memories from the past at one time but would deal with a few of them every night when he would sort through his new memories. This way would be much more manageable.

He was barely at it for more than ten minutes when he began to run out of energy – sorting one's mind was extremely tiring – and he soon fell into a deep sleep.

Kaa woke Harry up for dinner and he was surprised to find two folded sheets of parchment that had been stuffed under his door.

_ Harry,_

_ I just wanted you to know that I'm here if you ever want to talk about anything – us Puffs have to support one another, right? Anyways, I never got the chance to tell you at dinner that our parents used to know each other. My parents were aurors and worked with your dad. My Gran says that we used to play together once or twice when we were very little. The other first years seem nice and we have your back._

_Hope to see you at dinner,_

_Neville Longbottom_

Harry was honestly surprised: that must have taken a lot for Neville, considering how shy he had seemed last night. A smile appeared on Harry's face thinking that it might not be as difficult for him to show his face at dinner as he had previously thought. He quickly checked the time and saw that dinner was still 30 minutes away, leaving him plenty of time to make himself presentable. If Neville had the courage to reach out to him, Harry would find it in him to show his face and brave dinner.

He wasn't ashamed or anything, he would just rather not deal with it. But, he supposed that the longer he held it off, the harder it would get. He might as well just jump right in. It seemed to be working well for him so far.

Harry turned his attention the other letter.

_ Harry,_

_ I don't really know what to say. I don't want to pry but just want to make sure you are Ok. I'm here if you just need someone to talk to or hang out with to get your mind off of everything…_

_Cedric_

Harry was blushing stupidly. He couldn't deny that he found the other boy attractive and that he was deeply intrigued by the feeling he got when they shook. It had been warm and comforting and something that he wasn't expecting nor couldn't explain. He knew that there was an age difference and he was only 11, but it was nice to know Cedric cared about him in some way. Plus, he didn't seem that embarrassed about how they had woken up that morning. At the very least, Harry hoped that Cedric would turn into a great friend. He seemed very genuine and easy-going and Harry was thankful he had had someone to talk to last night and take his mind off of things. Perhaps he had made the right choice with Hufflepuff.

Dinner had not been as difficult as he had anticipated it would be. He had sat next to Neville and they had chatted more and he had made some introductions with the rest of the first years. There was hardly any mention about the article in The Daily Prophet – though Harry did the get the distinct impression that people were dying to ask him about it.

Cedric had managed to catch his eye and he smiled appreciatively and nodded and mouthed the words, 'later – common room,' which went unnoticed by others at the Hufflepuff table.

The remainder of dinner was spent anticipating what classes would be like, especially considering they had a double block of Potions and a study period before lunch. The afternoon started with Transfiguration and History of Magic before ending the day with Herbology. It was interesting to note that most of their classes were paired with Ravenclaws, which suited Harry just fine. Imagine having classes with Slytherins!

Thinking about the other houses got Harry thinking about Ron Weasley and whether he had been told about his rat and whether people would put two and two together. If it were him he would have not brought it up; hoping that since it happened on the first night, people wouldn't remember it was his rat that had been Pettigrew. Only time would tell whether Ron Weasley was that intelligent, he supposed.

Besides talking with some of his classmates, he noticed that Remus hadn't been at dinner and he decided he must have gone to St Mungos to see Sirius and check up on him. He shook his head as he could only imagine how _that_ would go or what they would talk about.

Minnie had been subtly inquiring as to how Harry was doing by trying to catch his attention. He had managed to give a so-so gesture with his hand. To be honest, he felt good knowing that Minnie was going to be one of his guardians. Well, at least until he turned 14. Which got him thinking, now that Sirius was going to be free, most likely, what would that mean for his status as The Black Heir? Would Sirius become the new Lord? What were happen if Sirius couldn't take control because of medical reasons? How did Magic handle that? He would just have to wait and see.

He wondered how their first interaction would go. Harry hoped that he would have a little time to adjust to his new life at Hogwarts before he had to deal with that.

Feeling quite content with his decision to go to dinner and in getting better acquainted with Neville and some of the other first years, Harry walked lazily back to the Hufflepuff common room. Thoughts about Remus and Sirius were swirling through his head and he was doing his best to apply a low-level of Occlumency to deal with them.

Aside from that, he was debating about what to tell Cedric. He wanted to be honest with the other boy, and he expected Cedric to also have questions about how he had known Peter Pettigrew was in the castle. He had fully expected the third year to connect the dots, given his assessment of Cedric's mental faculties during their one-way conversation last night. The question was whether he could he trust the boy he had just met. It would be helpful if he had someone, well a human his age, to confide in about things – but he didn't want to just dump everything on the boy. Kaa and him had spent the entire time walking back to his room debating that very issue.

Ultimately, Harry had decided to follow his heart and trust in the connection he had felt when their hands had touched, much the same way he had been directed to Kaa and Hedwig. He didn't even have to think about adding them into his life and had accepted it because it just felt right. Speaking of trusting your initial feelings, he would have to go and visit Hedwig. He had brought some treats with him and knew she would appreciate the visits; though she was probably quite satisfied with the hunting no doubt the grounds of Hogwarts generously provided.

The map was put to good use as Harry had waited until the commotion in the common room had died down before going and visiting Cedric. He decided that he would bring Cedric to his room - he didn't want everyone to know that he had the map or overhear their conversation.

Cedric was sitting in the corner of the room reading one his class books when Harry suddenly appeared next to him, startling him slightly.

"Hey Cedric," Harry spoke nonchalantly while removing his cloak as if appearing out of nowhere.

"Harry!" Was all Cedric could get out while grasping his chest.

"Oh, sorry – I can be really quiet when I want to be." He probably should have not risked the cloak but a part of him just couldn't resist seeing if he could pull it off.

"Want to go to my room?"

"Ok, let me just get my stuff." He replied putting his book in his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

They walked to Harry's room and he closed the door behind both him and Cedric, slightly nervous about how this little chat would go. He could only hope he was right to put his faith in him.

"So, I bet you are probably wondering how I knew Peter Pettigrew was here; I assumed you had put two and two together. I just ask that you keep this between us?"

He looked to Cedric hopefully, "am I wrong to trust you? I just _feel_ that I can."

Cedric looked down at the ground. He couldn't explain it but he had been captivated by Harry Potter since he first had laid eyes on him at the feast; there was just something about him that drew him in. And then there was that handshake! What was that? He had felt this electric spark spread all throughout his body, and this connection to another person he had never felt before. It was like rediscovering something you had thought you had lost but at the same time was something that you never knew you had ever possessed; it was familiar but also entirely new. He may not have known what this was that was going on between them and why he felt so comfortable with someone he had just met; however, he wasn't going to run away. Harry could trust him and he, in turn would trust Harry.

"I have been wondering about Pettigrew, Harry… I don't know why you want to but you can trust me. Though, I don't want to pry into your personal life."

Cedric had moved closer to Harry though there was enough distance to maintain a healthy personal space and was soon towering slightly over the younger wizard.

Harry had followed his approach and looked up into his gray eyes.

"You were there for me last night and didn't ask too many questions… and I really appreciated that. I don't know… I just feel comfortable around you and feel like I owe it to you to be honest?"

"You don't owe me anything Harry." Cedric hesitated slightly, aware of just how awkward this sounded. It was like something greater than himself was compelling him to act.

"I just… I can't explain it, but I feel the need to protect you, if that makes any sense. Ever since we shook hands and I felt this shock run through me, I…"

Harry cut in at that.

"You felt that too?! It was like this feeling that was slightly overwhelming all of a sudden… but I felt safe, comforted. Is that weird?"

"I think this whole thing is weird, Harry. To be honest, I have no idea what is going on and it scares me a little. But I am not afraid of it; it's more unsettling because of the intensity. If anything, I feel this need to be like a big brother to you."

Harry was momentarily dejected on the inside. He didn't like hearing the words that Cedric felt brotherly towards him, but he was a _little _young for these kinds of feelings. He knew it had something to do with whatever it was that had passed between them, but was more than happy that Cedric considered him in a positive way at all.

Harry didn't know what to say so instead he retrieved The Marauder's Map and activated it and then proceeded to completely blow Cedric's mind with what the contents of the map showed.

"My dad made this with his friends when he was back in Hogwarts. It never lies and even shows some secret passages that we should check out sometime."

Harry paused and waited for Cedric to process the map and what it could do.

"This is how I knew, I saw Peter's name in Gryffindor tower and I went to Remus. Aside from being by guardian, he was good friends with my dad and helped make the map with him."

"Wow, Harry, I … I don't know what to say. This map is incredible on one hand, but on the other, to find out that way…"

He looked at Harry concernedly.

"My parents had wrote me letters detailing some of their final events, they told me that Peter was the secret keeper and I had shared that with Remus. But Sirius would still have been guilty of the other murders so the information really wouldn't have done anything. But after seeing Pettigrew's name… I knew that there was something off about everything. If he was alive, there was a chance we didn't know everything about that day in the street."

Cedric had such emotion and concern in his eyes when he looked at Harry that his knees felt week because of the intensity. And he had only known Cedric for a day; it was frightening.

"It's Ok, Cedric… I made peace with what happened that night." Harry spoke with a quiet conviction.

Cedric reached out and patted Harry's shoulder in solidarity and the same spark occurred, albeit less intense. Both of them felt it and locked eyes with each other.

At this point, Kaa just had to say something. He had been listening to their conversation and trying to discern as much as he could about this other boy that Harry was putting so much faith in, but that spark had been the last straw and he needed to know more.

'_Harry, let me look into his eyes. I am fairly certain with my conclusion that he is trustworthy and would never betray you, but I need to look into his eyes to confirm it_. _I realize this will risk your ability but feel it prudent if you continue to reveal things to him, as I know you want to.'_

_ 'Are you sure, Kaa? … I suppose you are right… Do you think this is weird? Am I wrong to trust him… I need your input.'_

_ 'This is why I want to look in his eyes… I can't say this is weird because the feeling is very similar to the one I experienced with you before we bonded. I just felt something I couldn't explain and just went with it.'_

Harry considered it for a moment and turned his attention back to Cedric.

"Cedric, I don't want you to freak out but I want to show you someone who is very dear and important to me… He is a snake… and he is bonded to me and won't hurt you. His name is Kaa and he just wants to look into your eyes."

Harry was trying to lessen the shock by speaking slowly and carefully.

Cedric looked at him questioningly while bringing one hand to rest on his hips while holding his chin contemplatively processing what Harry had just said. His grey eyes were looking over Harry, trying to think about where a snake could be hiding on him or somewhere else in the room.

"A snake… how do you know it wants to look into my eyes?"

Cedric wasn't that alarmed and the only emotion that Harry could detect was an honest curiosity.

"I'm a parselmouth."

Cedric shook his head and snorted. He shouldn't have been surprised. This was Harry Potter and he had just been shown a map that could indicate where everyone was that was in the castle. Why wouldn't Harry have other abilities or fantastic possessions?

"Ok," he said, allowing himself a moment to process all of this.

'A Parselmouth Hufflepuff who is also Harry Potter – oh, I want to be there when Slytherin house learns of this', he thought. Though Cedric did start to wonder why the snake would request that… For that matter, how did the snake ask Harry? Where was the snake – he hadn't heard anything.' Cedric needed some answers.

"I guess I have a couple of questions, first, if that's Ok?"

Harry nodded and Cedric removed his hands from his thinking pose and was led to sit on Harry's bed. They were sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing each other.

Kaa slithered out from Harry's left sleeve and coiled in the space between them on the bed.

Cedric's eyebrows rose slightly but he didn't seem to be too afraid; if anything his curiosity was building.

"_He is very handsome, Harry… Can I have his permission to coil around his wrist and then if he would hold me up to his face – I promise not to hurt him_."

Harry relayed the message to Cedric and said that when they were not attached they had to speak out loud, but when they were attached they could communicate telepathically. He briefly explained about their bond, and again, asked Cedric to keep this between them.

"Of course," Cedric nodded.

Cautiously, Cedric laid his right arm next to the snake, who slowly – so as not to alarm him – coiled around his wrist. Cedric felt a very faint sensation that reminded him of Harry's touch and lingered in place for a moment before gently raising his wrist to eye level to allow Kaa to gaze into his eyes. It was a very weird and peculiar image.

They stared at each other for quite some time. Kaa was almost as content on Cedric's arm as he was on Harry's – and he could only sense honesty and a building curiosity behind Cedric's gray orbs. He was searching for anything that would indicate him as a threat to his bonded but he couldn't detect anything nefarious. The more he was in contact with the other boy the more he wanted to trust him. He was beginning to see why Harry wanted to tell him everything and was even starting to agree.

Cedric had something that was very genuine and sincere about him that just made you feel good on the inside. Kaa could only hope it would serve Harry well in the future; he would need all the help he could get. Harry needed someone that was his age that he could trust.

Eventually, Kaa had asked Harry to tell Cedric that he wanted to be put down and slithered over to Harry to mentally share everything with him. Cedric was watching the silent exchange and was relieved when a smile appeared on Harry's lips and his eyes flickered to meet Cedric's. He relayed that Kaa had found him trustworthy and, again, Cedric said he would not share anything that Harry didn't want him too.

Satisfied with Kaa's assurances about making Cedric aware about some of Harry's secrets, the two young wizards spread out the map between them and spent the rest of the evening deciding on secret passages they would check out or places of the castle that Cedric hadn't known existed. They occasionally commented on people that they saw out and about and Cedric would add a detail or two about the people he knew.

They both blushed as they discovered the clandestine activities of some of Hogwarts older couples.

It was a very tired but happy Cedric that had left Harry's room later that night to head to his own to get ready for the first day of classes. He hadn't been bothered by anything that Harry had revealed and was certainly looking forward to exploring the castle with him. He may have been initially startled by finding out that the boy-who-lived was a parselmouth but it was evident after watching the interaction between Kaa and Harry that both were very loyal to the other. It was clear that they were a team and, deep down, Cedric was slightly jealous that he would never be able to have that level of closeness and complete understanding with someone. But he was happy for Harry, and if anyone deserved to be able to have a companion like that - it was Harry. Cedric could only hope that someday he would get a fraction of the intimacy that Harry had found.

**Next chapter is the start of classes and soon most of Harry's shocking revelations will stop and he will get a chance to have more of a normal life. For now.**

**Let me know what you think: Good or Bad!**


	10. The First Week

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, I think I should make some things clear about how this story will progress, but I want to thank those that took time out to read and/or critique this. I really do appreciate you doing that: both the good and bad!

I do realize that Harry is 11 but I am basing him off me when I was that age. I gather that it may be different than what others felt or did but that is how it was for me. It's easier for me to write this Harry if I was going through all of that because that is what I know the best. I'm not having Harry/Cedric get together this early so there will be time for a buildup and they are nowhere close to falling in love. I just wanted something positive in Harry's life since he was dealing with everything else. They will be friends first and develop a closeness AND they will certainly have issues. I think it fits so far with this Harry and though he may be taking a risk with Cedric, I think it is justified. I would act this way in a lot of these situations, but I know that everyone does things differently. I want to assure you though that I am not trying to add things haphazardly. I do have a goal I am working towards. I know that Cedric is almost three years older than Harry in the book, but I'll be taking some liberties with his age. Namely, his birthday will be in August and he is slightly less than 2 years older than Harry.

Speaking of Harry, I realize that a lot of things are happening quite quickly. But to be honest, if I had that map I would treat it like I do fanfiction: I would stare at that thing for an unhealthy amount of time. Especially if Harry thinks about where else he could have been sorted, he would have noticed Pettigrew in Gryffindor. What I don't find realistic is how Fred and George had that map with Ron/Pettigrew in the castle for over 2 years and didn't think it strange that Ron was sleeping with Peter for 2 years.

I do understand that it may seem like a lot is happening and I have my reasons for that. I would not presume to be better than JK and I want to tell a different story with different elements. I have read some great takes on the various years and I am going in a different direction but really think the events so far would happen if Harry got questions to specific answers. Maybe I didn't do justice to that premise with my writing; I do plan on going back over everything once I get to 100K. I can tell you right now the stone is not happening because there is no Voldemort floating about. I doubt the Tri-wizard tournament will either though if it does, Harry will not be participating. I want to explore other areas and build tension that way. My Voldemort is going to be hardcore and evil with a touch insanity for splitting his soul like he did.

Harry will have time this year to unwind and nothing really major is planned and we will begin to see more about how he is dealing with everything on the inside. Just because he is handling things now does not mean he will continue to do so. I think the main issues for him will be dealing with Sirius, new friends, getting adjusted to classes, and a normal routine for once. I hope you stick with it, but completely understand if this isn't your cup of tea. Like I said, I will definitely be going back through and editing errors that I may have made and seeing what makes the story flow better at different break points.

Again, thanks for all of your time with reading this and for commenting. I really appreciate the good and the bad because it helps me write better.

Posted 2/28/15

**Standard disclaimer about not owning anything and while I may be confused with some of her choices, just as people are confused with mine, JK really gave us one of the best gifts. She crafted this entire world and populated it with characters that we can all relate to. I seriously wish I could have gone to Hogwarts…**

Harry woke the next day feeling somewhat refreshed for the first time in a while. Sure, the previous day had been difficult to start with, but it had ended on such a positive note – he had felt like a normal kid for once getting to hang out and just joke around with a friend. Well, as normal as someone who possessed a kickass magical map that showed where everyone in the castle was could be.

Hopefully, this whole Pettigrew/Sirius fiasco would be over with on Saturday and then Sirius would be cleared of all charges and free to resume his life. He supposed he would find out today from Remus just how 10 years in Azkaban had treated him since Remus had wanted to be there for his old friend on his first night; he didn't want Sirius to be alone for one more minute and felt some residual guilt deep down that he had thought the worst of him.

Honestly, Harry wasn't expecting miracles with how Sirius was doing; it could take years before he fully recovered, if at all, and he was aware of the seriousness of the situation. Presumably, he would be able to go home to Grimmauld Place once he was cleared from St. Mungos, but who knew how long that would actually take. And even if he went home, he would still be alone and that wouldn't exactly be healthy either. Maybe he would be better off at St. Mongos for the time being until he got his life back together. But he wasn't really the one to decide that and he was getting ahead of himself just thinking about it; capable adults were handling this situation. They wouldn't let him suffer anymore.

Harry was also being a little selfish for wanting Sirius to recover besides him being able to assume his Godfather duties - which he really did want. In truth, he would like the pressure of being The Black Heir removed from his shoulders by Sirius being the new Lord. Now, he was aware that he would still be the heir to House Black and House Potter and future lord of both, but he already had too much to deal with and he would snap if things continued on the way they had been. One less responsibility was fine by him. But that was only a small part; mostly he was just looking forward to Sirius recovering because then he would have one more link to his parents and the life he could have had.

Then him and Remus would be able to take care of him, because whatever happened with Sirius, he would always want Remus to be there. In a short time Remus had become almost like a father to him and Harry would take all the family he could get.

The more he thought about it, the more evident it became that he was assembling a very diverse group of individuals around him. Despite everything else that had been going or was currently going on, he was very thankful for having them in his life.

In a little over a month he had gone from having almost no one to having several people and animals that were by his side and sticking with him through all of these unexpected surprises and crises. He couldn't say how much it meant to him that he didn't have to go through any of this alone. In spite of the craziness of Voldemort and his stupid horcruxes and all of the political nonsense and Peter Pettigrew there had been an equal number of positive events that had helped to counteract the negative effects.

Considering what he knew that was going on and knowing that Sirius would probably need therapy, he wondered whether he would benefit from some as well. While he wasn't keen on letting a stranger have access to his private thoughts or the sensitive information he had – he knew the pressure and stress of everything would slowly weigh in on him until he broke. He was trying to focus on the positive things and praying to anyone he thought would listen that there was nothing else problematic or excessively ridiculous looming on the horizon. He didn't see what else could be brought up unexpectedly and didn't want to temp the fates by asking it out loud. He knew how those things worked.

He lingered in bed for a few minutes longer than he should have but couldn't help reveling in knowing multiple people cared about him. He was taking time to appreciate the good things that he had going on in his life. And having people that were supportive was a very good thing.

Kaa was excited about the first day of classes. He hoped that it would give Harry something positive to focus on because he was acutely aware of the stress that everything was having on Harry's mindset. Harry needed time to process things and adjust to his life at Hogwarts without anything else happening. As it was, he thought Harry was ignoring issues, like the prophecy, that would come back to bite him but understood the situation enough to know Harry was using 'thinking about other things' as a coping mechanism to just survive from one moment to the next.

Kaa could only be there for Harry when he finally broke down and started the process of rebuilding again. Kaa didn't want to think about what another shock would do to his companion and tried to think about other, less stressful things when they were telepathically linked.

Eventually, Harry dragged himself out of bed and started to gather his bathroom supplies. The shared bathroom was crowded today, as the other new male Hufflepuffs were frantically getting ready for the first day of classes. Robes, clothes, and ties were thrown haphazardly around the place as they attempted to make it to breakfast on time. Somehow they all managed to clean up nicely in their own attire and set off for the great hall together, seven years of Magical education and friendship ahead of them.

Most of the first years, regardless of house, resorted to nervous chatter as they picked at their plates, while some of the older students encouraged them to eat as much as possible.

"Magic takes energy and you all better eat up to have the strength that your body will need as it adjusts to casting Magic for the first time," a fifth-year Hufflepuff Prefect had said to them.

Harry had whispered in Neville's ear that it was the truth and they were not the only ones that took to their plates with renewed vigor. The majority of them finished eating everything on their plates and then some. Towards the end of the meal Harry noticed he had about half an hour before his double block of potions started. There were three class period in the morning: 9:00 – 10:00, 10:15 – 11:15, and 11:30 – 12:30 with a 15 minute break in between each to allow for travel to their next class as the castle was quite large. Lunch went from 12:45 – 13:45 followed by three afternoon class periods: 14:00 – 15:00, 15:15 – 16:15, and 16:30 – 17:30. Usually, there was one free period a day that the students could use as they wished. Dinner was then served from 18:00 – 19:00 and curfew started at 21:30 for years one through three and 22:00 for years four through seven.

Remus had managed to catch Harry's eye at the table and indicated that he would like to speak with him after breakfast. He caught up with Harry towards the end of the meal and managed to get him alone for a few minutes before they had to go their separate ways. It was slowly becoming common knowledge that Remus was Harry's guardian, and very few people passed them a second glance, correctly assuming that this had something to do with Sirius or other matters and were trying to respect their privacy.

"Excited for your first day of classes?" Remus asked while leading Harry to an abandoned classroom so they wouldn't be disturbed.

"Yeah, I am looking forward to Potions and Transfiguration today. Based on what I have read so far, I also think that Charms and your class will be among my favorites. The books certainly had the most interesting discussions on Magic and I am looking forward to learning more of the practical side. I'm not as nervous as I would be since I had a crash course in it this summer."

Harry was finding it quite hard to contain his excitement – he was enthralled by studying Magic and couldn't wait to absorb it all. The time spent in Grimmauld Place, actually casting for the first time, was something he would never forget; it truly was this incredible feeling when Magic went through him and he kept being surprised by all that Magic could do.

He was also happy that studying would get his mind focused on other things. It's possible that Harry was slightly overenthusiastic about the upcoming term to compensate for recent events but he really was looking forward to classes; he loved to learn.

Remus smiled at him, happy that he seemed genuinely happy and excited – which was rare for Harry since he always seemed to be dealing with something. He hated that he had to bring this up but at least it wasn't completely bad news.

"But that's not really why you pulled me aside, is it?"

Harry asked and decided to be blunt again if it got this conversation over with. He assumed Remus didn't want to give him bad news but he had to think that if it was that bad then Remus wouldn't do it right before classes. Harry couldn't see Remus doing that.

Remus had been doing his best at breakfast to project a normal countenance but Harry had seen enough small things to know his mind was preoccupied; it didn't take a genius to discover what was the most likely cause of his musings. Harry's heart had started to speed up and even though he didn't know the man, he hoped that he hadn't suffered too much – though he could only imagine what Sirius was like after being alone for 10 years. What would anyone be like after 10 years in that place?

He was slightly anxious to hear from Remus, though he was pretty sure it wasn't horrible news. But any news in this situation was enough to introduce doubts.

"No, I'm afraid not, Harry. Though, it isn't all bad news. Sirius was much better than anyone thought he would be. Physically, he is in rough shape, but he is lucid and that is more than we could have hoped for at this point. He seemed more or less together last night though understandably not in the best shape. The healers' first impression of the situation is that there is hope for a full recovery but in all likelihood it will probably be at least a year before he returns to any sense of normalcy. I was expecting to hear much worse."

Remus was torn; on the one hand, it had been great having Sirius exceed everyone's expectation, but the reality of the situation was quite painful. His friend had been left to rot without ever receiving a trial and Remus felt guilty for not giving his friend the benefit of the doubt. He should have known that Sirius would never have betrayed James or Lily; however they were living in a very uncertain time and even though The Dark Lord was gone, they still had to deal with some of his followers and they terror they were causing.

What happened to Frank and Alice Longbottom had unsettled a lot of people in the days following He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's downfall. It had taken a while to ameliorate people's fears after having their newfound sense of security and safety taken away so suddenly and dramatically. No one wanted their family to suffer the same fate as The Potters or The Longbottoms.

Remus had more to share with Harry of a more positive nature.

"Sirius did manage to communicate a few things with me; namely, he had spent most of his time in Azkaban in his animagus form. Apparently, he discovered that dementors have a reduced effect on animals compared with humans because of the different emotional complexities – at least that is what he assumed. The other reason he suspected that he had kept most of his mind intact was that the first thought he had upon waking and going to sleep and always the predominate thought in his head was that he was innocent. The dementors couldn't take that away because it wasn't a happy thought and so never got to suck all of the happiness and good times from him. His realization of being innocent and losing some of the people that he loved most probably helped to shield his mind from constant attack."

Remus knew it was a difficult concept to convey: your Godfather was wrongfully imprisoned for ten years and was in solitary confinement; however, it wasn't as bad as we all thought – so yay. It was hard trying to celebrate the positives in this particular situation – but it really, really, could have been worse.

Harry was thinking this through and the more he heard about the dementors and the effect they had on people, the more he wondered how humane the whole thing was. He suspected that most people were fine with the status quo as long as they didn't have to deal with it directly, at least that was what he had read and observed in the muggle world and didn't think the wizarding world would be immune from basic human nature.

"Do you think he will make it, Remus?" Harry asked, suddenly unwilling to continue his previous train of thought. He didn't want to think about the negatives anymore; he couldn't. If there was a chance Sirius could come out of this then that was what he was going to focus on.

"I do, Harry. And we can help him with that. I'll see what I can do about visiting him in the evenings and on weekends and perhaps the headmaster will allow you to visit St. Mungos – though we should hold off on that until things settle down. I just want you to concentrate on classes at the moment. I am worried you are dealing with a lot. In fact, what would you think about seeing a mind healer yourself? It's the wizard equivalent of a therapist – just so you could have someone to talk to about things."

Remus didn't want Harry to think he was going crazy but he had to be the responsible adult in all of this and Harry's health and well-being came first.

Remus took a moment to let Harry process his last statement.

'Well that is convenient', Harry thought. 'Remus must be on the same page that I am.'

"I saw a mind healer for many years after losing your parents and being separated from you and all of my friends. I think it will be a good thing but I don't want to force this on you."

Remus knelt down to Harry's level to look Harry square in the eyes.

"I only want what is best for you," he emphasized before adding, "and it is completely confidential. They are unable to reveal your secrets by undertaking a magical vow."

Harry hung his head in this serious moment, talking over the implications with Kaa.

'_Yes – I think that is a great idea, Harry,'_ his snake added almost immediately since he was aware of Harry's earlier thoughts and was delighted with this opportunity.

'_You need to take care of yourself and work through what has happened now rather than later. Like with your Occlumency: do a little each day. With everything ahead of you, I think this would be very beneficial_.'

Kaa was giving him the sage advice and encouragement he needed. It was difficult opening yourself up like this and no one liked admitting that they needed help. Harry was uneasy with letting someone he didn't know in on everything and considered it quite different from opening up to someone of his choosing, but he would defer to Remus and Kaa in this regard.

In the end, he knew this was something that he was going to have to do and with Remus suggesting it, it would make it easier on him. How many eleven year olds willingly asked for therapy?

He shared his decision with Kaa who had slightly squeezed around his arm in a show of support and solidarity.

"Ok, Remus – I'll do it. I trust that if it helped you and if it helps Sirius, I should probably do it as well. Would it be possible to arrange it with the same person that you did it with?"

He trusted Remus and it made him feel better about the entire process knowing that Remus could personally vouch for this other person. It would take away some of his concern about opening up to a complete stranger.

"I'll make some calls, Harry – perhaps this weekend we can arrange a visit in St. Mungos… Possibly see Sirius as well, depending on how he is doing, of course. It would do no good to introduce either of you until the other one is ready. Hopefully by then the shock of this all will have worn off."

He pulled Harry into a hug and tousled his hair in an endearing gesture before telling him he better get going to Potions; Snape wouldn't like it if he were late.

Harry turned to leave but stopped at the door and hesitated exiting before facing Remus again.

"Thanks for everything, Remus – you have no idea how much it means. I do hope that Sirius recovers and can take up his role as my Godfather but if for some reason that doesn't happen… well, I'm happy I have you. Godfather or not, I still would like you as my guardian."

He smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed but knowing that it was the truth and he wanted Remus to know how much he meant to him.

Remus was beyond touched with Harry's sincere proclamation.

"I would do anything for you Harry; you are my number one priority." Remus said softly while giving his own genuine and heart-felt smile.

Harry noticed his eyes had started to tear up. Both their eyes had started to tear up. Happy tears.

He nodded, unable to find words that would do a response justice, and left for the dungeons.

The only thought that he focused on during his walk to the underbelly of Hogwarts was how lucky he was to have Remus in his life. And he would have to trust his opinion with this particular mind healer. If he couldn't trust Remus, whom could he trust?

He quickly joined the empty seat next to Neville and very quickly his thoughts shifted to excitement about all they things they would learn about in this classroom. Professor Snape soon gave a very dramatic entrance into the room with his silky black cape billowing behind him that stood still only when the Potions Master turned to face the class. A serious expression took over his features.

"Welcome to Potions. I will warn you right now that this will be a difficult class unless you put in the work. And anyone not paying attention will suffer the consequences because you could injure not only yourself but others as well."

It was a very serious and solemn start to their wizarding education but it needed to be given. Snape let those words sink in for a few seconds before continuing.

"Now, Potions is one of the oldest branches of Magic. Our ancestors were mixing magical ingredients before waving wands around and what I can teach you here can be some of the most powerful Magic you will ever learn. This is a subtle art though and not everyone has the predisposition to understand the magical essence of different ingredients and the specific ways they can combine and augment the properties of others. At the worst, I expect an 'Acceptable' from everyone on their OWLs, or Ordinary Wizarding Levels, at the end of fifth year, and will only take those with a serious aptitude and 'Outstanding' for years six and seven."

He needed to emphasize what was at stake and this is where he got his less-than-kind reputation: Snape expected hard work and did not tolerate laziness in his classroom. He was true to his word and was known to kick students out of his class, permanently.

Harry gave a slight nod to the professor when his name was called for attendance and he noticed that Snape acted very differently in front of the classroom, but he figured that his interactions with the man had been under very extenuating circumstances. He found Snape to be an amazing teacher who had a demonstrated mastery of the subject and had practically salivated at the thought of being under his tutelage for the next seven years.

He had paired up with Neville and had managed to calm the other boy's nerves. It seemed that Neville that heard quite a few stories about Snape and he was terrified of the man. Harry attempted to allay his fears: He pointed out that Snape seemed dedicated to his craft and would brook nothing less than someone's best.

"As long as you put in the effort, you had nothing to fear," Harry had explained, relaying some of the advice Remus had given him as well as reiterating what Snape had told them in the beginning of class.

In the end, they had managed to turn in a very reasonable potion – one of two exceeds expectations awarded to their class. The other was awarded to a Ravenclaw pair that included a girl with brown hair that was slightly on the frizzy side but pulled into a passable ponytail. Harry understood what having untamed hair was like. They were quickly introduced to each other, and he was looking forward to meeting this Hermione Granger in the library later in the week for a study group they had arranged on the spot, which Neville was also invited to. It turned out that Neville and Hermione had met on the train and she had helped him locate his wayward frog, Trevor.

Snape had asked Harry to stay behind momentarily after class and Hermione and Neville said they would wait for him outside since they all had Transfiguration next anyways.

"Harry," Snape began when they were the only ones in the room. He was now much friendlier and acted like he had when he was at Grimmauld Place.

"How is everything so far?"

"About fifty-fifty, to be honest, Sir. I feel like I'm fitting into my house and making some friends but I am a little shaky with this whole Pettigrew/Sirius thing… I am really looking forward to classes, though. I think it will be nice to get my mind focused on other things. Great lesson by the way."

"That is about what I expected to hear. Just know that my door is always open. It would seem you have your mother's talent and skill for the subject."

Harry nodded appreciatively. He still had to relay what his mum had asked of him, but that time wasn't now.

"Now, you better get going to your next class."

Harry moved towards the door.

"Oh, and by the way, great job today. Very few people manage an E on the first assignment."

A rare and small upturn of his lips indicated just how pleased Severus was that Harry had seemed to inherit some of his mother's knack for potion-making. Harry had made a very solid start in his opinion. It was getting easier and easier for him to disassociate the boy from James Potter and focus on the large part of Lily that Harry seemed to possess.

The trio had walked to their next class together and Harry was pleased to see that Neville was starting to come out of his shell a little.

Harry was quite content to discover Transfiguration and was hooked instantly. It was another class that they had shared with the Ravenclaws and it had the added benefit of being taught by Minnie. Though Harry was repeating, 'Minerva, Minerva, Minerva,' over and over again in his mind so as not to mistakenly call her 'Minnie' in front of others.

"Good Morning, class," she had welcomed them to her classroom and began instructing them on laws they needed to follow.

They were so important that she told them to write them down and write them as lines to be turned in next class. She was almost as severe as Severus but didn't have quite the menacing reputation that he did.

Harry had been quite impressed by how strict she was with the rules; he could see that it piqued not only his attention but those of several others as well. Most assumed that Magic with a wand would be easy and not have many consequences for danger. She described just how serious this branch of Magic was and how she had no reservations about asking those with a proclivity for joking around to leave her class until they had regained the proper attitude for serious learning.

Harry had to stifle a laugh, as her bun was as severe as he had ever seen it. The more he had seen Minerva in her element at Hogwarts, the more touched he had been that she had literally rushed to his house when they had been dealing with the horcrux.

It also didn't hurt for endearing her to some of the students that she had followed up her serious spiel with a demonstration of epic proportions. Seeing someone transform into a cat and back AND then proceed to transfigure animals out of desks and even works of art was more than enough to fully capture everyone's undivided attention. They couldn't wait to perform that, though she did remind them that not everyone could be an animagus and the spell work was NEWT level. They still thought it was wicked.

Their lesson for the day soon began in proper.

"The first bit of Transfiguration we are going to pursue is a basic changing of one substance into another. Each of you has a match and I would like to see you transfigure that into a needle with the incantation we have been practicing as well as the wand movement described in detail on the board… Remember that Transfiguration is more than just following the proscribed movements and speaking out loud, you must use your mind to make the change as well."

She set them off to perform the task and Harry had taken a moment to see the majority of the class struggling and not knowing where to even begin. The only success he had even seen so far was that Hermione Granger had managed to turn her match silver.

Channeling the words from his mum, Harry concentrated more on envisioning the match turning into one of the needles that Petunia had been fond of using rather than on the mechanisms of the spell itself. He became so engrossed with imagining the wood turning into metal in his mind that he imagined what it would feel like to prick himself upon the needle.

To his amazement, the match transformed in front of him into the very needle he had been thinking about seconds before. Granted it was a very basic needle, but a needle nonetheless.

"Oh ho!" Minerva practically gushed. She was hovering over Harry's table with enthusiasm.

"Well done, Mr. Potter. Take five points to Hufflepuff for getting that on your first try. Do you feel up to trying to transfigure the needle back into a match? It is the same spell, now mind you, and the key is again visualization."

Others had stopped their own attempts to look in Harry's direction. Hermione had a determined and competitive look in her eyes.

Harry focused his mind again, but instead of visualizing the same exact match that he had transfigured the needle from he imagined a wooden match that was a miniature version of his holly wand. He felt the Magic traveling through him and leaving the tip of his wand and kept his mind engrossed with this and only this task. The metal needle slowly changed into an exact replica of his wand, except that instead of a flat tip, there was the match head.

"Outstanding, Mr. Potter! Take ten points to Hufflepuff this time. Very few students manage this transformation on the first day, and I can count the number of pupils on one hand who managed to transform it back. Excellent work." Her eyes were full of pride and he had to resist once again calling her Minnie. It just flowed off the tongue, he was starting to regret, very slightly, finding out his dad had ever called her that. He knew it was only a matter of time before he slipped and uttered that in front of others. Part of him just wanted to get it over with.

Minerva had told him to see what else he could do and turned around to give assistance to other individuals.

"Harry!" Hermione practically whined as she went over to him. Neville was giving him a puppy dog look as well.

"How did you do that? I am concentrating on the spell and I'm sure I am performing the wand movements perfectly, as demonstrated in the text and on the board. What am I missing?"

Harry would soon learn that once Hermione had set her mind to accomplish something, she wouldn't stop until she had achieved it satisfactorily. Which to her meant perfectly - but that was a minor detail.

Harry couldn't take all of the credit; his dad had provided him with the key to Transfiguration. Though, he was wondering why the other parents hadn't provided their progeny with the same helpful advice. He would have to add that to his list of questions.

"Hermione," he started, realizing that a fair majority of the class was now paying attention in the hopes of picking up on any advice he may give.

"The key to this is your mind as Professor McGonagall told us – but you have to have a clear picture in your mind of what you want it to transform into. You have to give the spell intent, a purpose if you will. Your Magic gives the spell life and you have to ignite that spark with your will. If the Magic doesn't have a clear form to take, the spell will never work properly."

"An excellent summary, Mr. Potter. Take another 5 points to Hufflepuff for helping a fellow classmate. Transfiguration is one of the hardest branches of Magic simply because it is, as Mr. Potter put it, all about intent and will. Your Magic will define what the spell should do and provide the 'instructions,' if you will, to give the Magic shape."

Everyone was hanging on her every word. Sometimes the hardest things were the simplest and even though they required intense concentration, you could learn it if you put your mind to it. There were a few light bulbs that had gone off that day and Minerva was ecstatic. By the end of the class, she had had over five students successfully change the match into a needle and back again. Minerva would have to rethink how she approached this topic in the future. It would certainly save her a lot of work. Perhaps they should expect more of the students and start educating them earlier on the intense, mental aspect of Magic.

Minerva had called upon Harry to remain after class and had thanked him for opening her eyes to thinking about something in a different way. Harry was taken aback by that and she had gone onto explain.

"The most intelligent and wise decision any person can make is to accept that there are others ways of doing something and some of these may be better. It doesn't matter where this information comes from and even an expert needs to think about things once and a while. In this case, there is a better way to explain how the Magic works that is more apt for beginners to learn."

She had made Harry promise to never feel uncomfortable by asking a question and encouraged him to always look at the world the way in which he did, because new ideas is what ignites progress.

She had also thanked Harry for his trust and confidence in her ability to be a back-up guardian, as she had described it. Harry had thanked her and said that he couldn't imagine life without his 'Minnie'. There was too much mirth in her eyes to even think about reprimanding Harry for that silly name; she would never admit it but it was growing on her and she had caught herself referring to herself with that very name.

Hermione was now asking Harry every question she could think of in the hopes of overcoming her apparent handicap of being a muggle-born. It was evident by the types of questions she asked that she was very intelligent. Harry was looking forward to their study group and hoped that it would be fruitful, but more than that, he thought she would make a good friend. It would be a memorable seven years with her by his side.

It was for these reasons, and the very limited interaction he had with Slytherin house that Harry's spirits were on an increasing trajectory.

The rest of the week passed in the same manner. He was correct with his initial assessment of Charms and DADA being among his favorite classes. Professor Flitwick was one of the more entertaining personalities he had ever encountered, and Harry had immensely enjoyed his first lecture.

They had started with the theory of what made a charm different from a transfiguration or a curse. Charms were characterized by infusing a small amount of your essence temporarily into something else to give it another quality that was determined by the incantation and the belief you had in it. Initially, charms was seen as a favorite to most students because it was the easiest branch to start with; however, the more advanced the charms became, the more difficult it was to power them and few ever possessed the right qualities needed in becoming a Master of Charms. Some of the most sophisticated and detailed Magic was the higher-level charms. Harry sincerely hoped that he would do his mum proud and was dedicated to trying as hard as he could.

He thought it would be weird having Remus as a teacher, but he was so easy-going and likeable that it never really became an issue. Remus was one of the most popular teachers because he had this way of teaching that made the learning process fun and not really feel like work. DADA combined elements of the other branches of Magic and started with developing problem solving skills since the students needed to have a basic grasp of their other classes before they could start studying practical applications in earnest.

While he saw the point to Herbology and liked tending to a garden in general, he saw it mostly as an offshoot of potions and not distinct enough. Something with which Neville disagreed with him on. He enjoyed it, certainly, but it wasn't something that excited him as much as some of the other classes. In a way, he found the time that he spent in class relaxing as he just enjoyed getting his hands dirty. It was therapeutic to him.

He didn't really like History of Magic and neither did anyone else. It was dreadfully boring and that ghost just droned on in that monotonous voice that would put the entire class to sleep.

Astronomy was perplexing because it was so far behind what the muggles had done that most muggle-borns were left bewildered but had no trouble with the class. Wizards seemed to be more concerned with what the state of the planets and constellations meant for life on earth and how it would affect their lives. They really didn't care, or believe, that muggles had been to the moon. What would be the point? Harry, and the majority of the school, didn't really care for the subject and it was quite difficult being up that late.

Before he knew it the weekend had arrived. He had developed his budding friendship with Hermione and Neville and they were fast becoming inseparable. Cedric and Harry had also been spending just about every evening together alternating between their rooms and perusing the map in such detail that they had planned exactly where they were going to start exploring the castle. Harry had yet to reveal his cloak to Cedric preferring to keep that to himself for the moment.

It was such an easy friendship and made them both feel as if they had always known the other. Even though Harry thought that Cedric was very attractive, he knew he was too young and ill prepared to start a relationship with someone, let alone someone older. And, he didn't even know how Cedric felt. It was a moot point to Harry.

He was just enjoying the brotherly interaction they had slipped into. Cedric was acting as the older sibling he had never had without making Harry feel like he was a burden and being talked down to. Cedric recognized Harry's intelligence, but most of all they just enjoyed each other's company. It is a rare thing to be able to be entirely yourself in another person's presence, and Harry wasn't going to turn his nose down at it.

The day of Sirius' trial – well Pettigrew taking the stand - arrived and while Harry wasn't allowed to go, Remus promised to fill him in on it after. Remus had been visiting Sirius at St Mungos and each day he reported that Sirius was getting better and better. The healers were still surprised that Sirius was so coherent considering all the years of isolation. They did stand by their initial report that it would most likely take him about a year to fully recover from the effects of solidary confinement and they didn't recommend him taking on his role as Harry's Godfather until he was one hundred percent healthy.

Remus was also insistent that Sirius needed to realize that Harry was very mature for his age and had already dealt with a lot. He advised Sirius not to rush the healing process and that if being there for Harry was as important as Sirius was claiming, that he should take it slow and do it right. Harry wasn't going anywhere.

Remus did find it somewhat amusing that Sirius was floored to hear about some of the changes that had taken place at Grimmauld Place. Sirius was intrigued that Orion had taken Harry under his wing and had been preparing him to take his place as heir of two Ancient and Noble Houses. He was just downright flabbergasted by Walburga being anything other than a raging bitch to Harry because of his blood status and couldn't get over hearing stories from Remus about them going through the house and her educating him about their family history.

Remus had hinted that she had her reasons and Harry had some rather unique talents that would be very unwise for Sirius to deal with rashly. Sirius could only begin to think about what those might be. The marauder in him was excited to see how Harry had managed something he considered to be impossible.

Despite Sirius' progress in some areas, there were still times when Remus would be unable to have a meaningful conversation with him. The effects of Azakaban were most apparent in those moments when Sirius would just be on the floor in front of the fireplace in his room, unable to string coherent words together. Sirius would later be able to say that there were times he thought like he would never feel warmth again and that the fire helped him to not feel like he died in there. He couldn't help closing in on himself and shutting the rest of the world out. Sirius recognized that he had plenty to do to get healthy again.

Aside from some of their conversations about what Harry was up to, the two friends had yet to touch on the subject of James and Lily or even Pettigrew. It had been decided that Sirius wouldn't attend the trial because he wasn't quite ready for that level of human interaction and they didn't want Harry to see pictures of Sirius looking like he did. Even though they had cleaned him up, there were horrors in his gaunt face that would take time to dissipate. It was hoped that Sirius would be able to return home to Grimmauld Place by Halloween to continue his treatment there and start to regain some semblance of his prior life.

Back at the castle, Harry was enjoying his Saturday supper with the rest of the first year Hufflepuffs. Neville had joined Harry and Hermione in a study session that day and they had gotten all of their weekend homework out of the way. Hermione had also read all of the course books before coming to Hogwarts and was itching to spend as much time in the library until she knew all of those books as well. She didn't like being handicapped by being a muggle-born and wanted to learn everything she could. Harry felt the same but realized that he would have to pace himself, and he had more important things to worry about.

There was also the realization that he would need to have fun once and a while and do things that served only his interests or else he would lose it. It was why Cedric and him had arranged to begin their exploration of the castle together on Sunday. Cedric had spent part of the day doing his homework and the rest practicing at the Quidditch pitch in the hopes of making the house team.

Remus had been gone the entire day and still wasn't present at dinnertime, and neither was Dumbledore. The evening mail came – which Harry still wasn't used to seeing that many owls flying overhead - and Harry received a note from Hedwig, which Harry thought was rather odd since he hadn't sent her anywhere. He had visited her a few times and had brought some treats for her but so far he had no one for her to deliver anything to. He wasn't planning on asking Sharptooth for anything about his accounts until the end of the month.

_ Harry,_

_ Please come to my office after dinner._

_ I am overly fond of 'lemon drops,' should you enquire at the entrance._

_ Albus Dumbledore_

Well that explained why Hedwig was used. He wondered how the headmaster had gotten to her and then realized that this was Dumbledore and he could probably do anything. Though, he had probably just gone to her and asked her to deliver the letter for him.

'_I guess that means the trial went well or at the very least it is over_,' Harry thought, unintentionally in parseltongue. He found that when Kaa was attached to him, all of his thoughts just naturally were formed in that language. Kaa obviously did the same thing.

Harry was getting used to the random thoughts from his companion that would suddenly appear in his head. Kaa had quite the flair for sarcastic comments and it was getting easier to keep his chuckles to himself.

Harry explained to the others that he would meet them back in the common room later. There was an unspoken understanding about what it was about considering the trial had been today. They had done their best to not talk about it – something that Harry had been eternally grateful for.

Harry stood before the ancient-looking griffin guarding the headmaster's office and thought back to the letter. Was he supposed to say the muggle candy out loud? Well, other common rooms had passwords, and Hermione had told them about answering riddles to get into the Ravenclaw dorms. He tried to think back to the first time he was here when they had dealt with the horcrux, but admittedly, he hadn't really paid attention at that time. He supposed that the Headmaster didn't need to say anything and that it just opened for him and the password was meant for others.

"Lemon drops?" Harry said hesitantly.

Immediately, the griffin rose and then turned clockwise to reveal a rising circular staircase. Harry ascended the newly revealed steps and knocked on the intricate and ornate door he found at the end.

"Come in."

Harry opened the door cautiously and peeked inside. Remus was standing with another man that he was sure wasn't Sirius. He took a moment to think.

'Perhaps this was the mind healer that they had talked earlier,' he reasoned.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk with his hands folded, and sparkling, sky blue eyes were looking at him through his half-moon spectacles. Of course, Dumbledore completed his ensemble with lavender robes speckled with gold stars. Seemed appropriate.

"You wanted to see me, Headmaster?" Harry asked the question but his eyes were focused on Remus and the middle-aged and he was standing next to.

"I wanted to let you hear the good news first, Harry," Dumbledore said.

He motioned for Harry to sit but he had gone straight to Remus and looked up into his eyes questioningly. It was obvious it had gone well - what else would count as good news? Still, he needed to hear it out loud and preferred that it came from Remus, no disrespect towards the headmaster.

Remus nodded and smiled at his charge.

"Pettigrew was found guilty and Sirius was officially cleared of all charges. In addition to a formal apology that will be presented in The Daily Prophet and one being made in person by The Minister at this very moment, Sirius will be awarded 10,000 galleons for every year he was imprisoned. They are also paying his tab for St. Mungos while he is recuperating."

Well that was certainly good news. And Sirius would have some money to start over for himself; Harry hadn't spent all of the gold that was in Sirius' account and he hoped he would get a chance to explain his reasoning to Sirius about why he had spend some of the money on upkeep. He could always pay him back, he told himself.

He nodded at Remus to continue; since it was obvious there was more to come.

Remus then introduced Harry and his companion to each other.

"Harry, this is the mind healer I was telling you about. His name is William Abernathy and he works for St. Mungos."

He turned to William, "This is Harry Potter."

"How do you do, sir?" Harry extended his right hand since Kaa was on the left.

"Pleasure, Mr. Potter. Remus has told me a few things about you. Nothing too serious, mind you; just bits and pieces to help me get a better picture of the type of person you are."

Harry's first impression of the man was a positive one. He had salt and pepper hair that was short on the sides but styled on top and he was wearing a tweed robe that gave him the distinct impression of being related to Sherlock Holmes. He just needed a pipe and a bowler hat and he would be all set. But besides that, he had kind eyes and a very caring air about him, which made sense given his profession.

"Now, Harry," Remus directed his attention back onto himself. "I brought Healer Abernathy here tonight so that the two of you could meet. I was at St. Mungos visiting Sirius after the trial and ran into him. Naturally, we began talking and one thing led to another and here we all are."

Remus went on to explain that Mr. Abernathy could come on the weekends and they could have a private session, and if Harry wasn't comfortable or that if it wasn't working they could find someone else. He made it clear that he wanted Harry to be comfortable and William had emphasized this point as well. There would be no hard feelings if Harry were uncomfortable in any way by working with him.

"How would the privacy thing work?" Harry had asked, feeling optimistic that liking this healer wouldn't be a problem.

"I would take something similar to an unbreakable vow, Harry. The consequences wouldn't be death but not that much better. We would walk through the details of the specifics of the oath before we began because there are times I may need to reveal something in an emergency situation."

"That seems appropriate." Harry paused. That seemed very reasonable, actually, and it was much better than the patient confidentiality that muggles had, but then again, they didn't have Magic to enforce it.

"Is there a time next weekend that would work for you?" Harry enquired. He was not surprisingly adjusting to the idea of therapy much better now after meeting the person and being able to get a feeling for the type of person he was.

Before Mr. Abernathy left it was decided that he would stop over Saturday mornings at 10am. They would be able to meet right after breakfast and then Harry could join Hermione and Neville in the library. It would fit perfectly.

They shook hands, less awkwardly this time, and Remus led him out of the castle, promising Harry that he would come right back.

Harry spent the time waiting for Remus by speaking with the headmaster about inconsequential things regarding his first week and how he was adjusting to classes. Harry had spent a great deal of time admiring the Phoenix and hearing all about its magical properties.

Remus had returned to Harry scratching the neck of the regal creature. Soon they said goodnight to Dumbledore and Remus led Harry back to Hufflepuff, making a quick detour in the Kitchens to get some hot cocoa.

**Let me know what you think!**

**And thanks for reading :)**


	11. Settling In

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, I took some time and went back through each chapter and edited some minor things and, in my opinion, made the story easier to read. I shouldn't have to do this now when I get to 100k like I was planning. This also coincided with a very busy time at work and March looks to be a real mess as well so updates will be sparse for a while. But I should be back to regular weekly postings come April.

Third, I am really trying to focus on character development this chapter and should be able to start moving the story forward in time more quickly. I envision that future chapters will not just encompass a day or two but begin spanning weeks or months in some cases. Otherwise, it will take a very long time getting to the end, and while I want to do this story justice and not rush – that just seems excessive! I am currently estimating at least 600k for a total word length.

It means a lot that anyone is reading this and taking time out of their day, so thank you!

Posted 3/7/15

**Standard disclaimer about not owning anything and I really wish Hogwarts was real. Could you just imagine?! Thank you JK for giving us this gift.**

Harry had slept very soundly after ending the previous day over a delicious cup of hot cocoa with his guardian, Remus. It had given them an opportunity to have a rare family moment at Hogwarts away from others and made them feel like they were back at Grimmauld Place. It also provided Remus an opening to tell Harry just how he expected the news of Sirius' trial to play out in the coming days.

He was fully expecting another recap on Sunday by the notorious Rita Skeeter; however Remus had been pleasantly surprised that she hadn't brought Harry into the story more and instead had been focusing on the apparent ineptitude of The Ministry and its bureaucratic inefficiencies. Remus was downright relieved that her vitriolic pen, which had cut many prominent figures down to size, was aimed at those officials who might have put innocent people away rather than focusing on an eleven-year-old boy.

Remus was thankful that this story had been so shocking and 'juicy' that Rita didn't even need to add her usual embellishments – even though he felt slightly guilty for thinking that considering it was Sirius' life that had provided such sensational fodder. But his primary concern was and always would be Harry and he concentrated on that.

Rita was the type of person that was interested as much in the truth as she was for making a name for herself, which helped explain her penchant for dramatics to sell a story that was important but read dry. She was an expert in story telling and could turn paint drying into an action-packed adventure. It was one of the reasons why The Minister and Director Bones had gone to her first: they wanted to do as much damage control as possible by being upfront and cooperative with what they had found to try and limit the potential fallout of the incident. The last thing they wanted was bad press and a drop in public support.

The plan had seemed to work as she had devoted considerable time and attention during the past week by lambasting the judicial process of previous administrations in a series of scathing articles. She had primarily focused on events that had occurred during the end of the war and very little was mentioned about flaws within the current government and, if discussed, were not aimed at specific people.

However, Harry hadn't been the only one whose family history had been dug up and displayed for all to see. Several other Hogwarts students had been unintentionally exposed to the spotlight because of the their family's involvement with a myriad of past issues that were touched upon and explored. It was quite astonishing the rate in which these articles were published and the depth of their content. They were well researched and astonishingly accurate based on information that Remus possessed. He suspected that she had known about these events for some time and was just waiting for the perfect moment to release the information.

For example, the killings of Amelia's brother, Edmund, and his wife had gone unsolved and had left another orphan in Susan Bones. Edmund had been considered a possible replacement for Minister of Magic and was exceedingly popular with the lighter houses. His death and that of his wife was something that was hardly touched upon at the time and Rita was now bring it up again with some unearthed evidence that potentially linked it to death eater activity. She had gone on to speculate about a possible coup that could have happened had Voldemort not met his downfall.

Neville found himself at the forefront another day because of an expose on his parents' torture that was quietly handled behind closed doors because one of the perpetrators had been the son of a high-level Ministry employee. Justice had been served, but hardly anyone had known what had happened to The Longbottoms, and their memory was swept under the rug. The event had affected Crouch Sr., who was also in line for the position of The Minister but internal powers had forced him to quietly transition from head of the DMLE to working in The Department of International Magical Cooperation (DIMO).

Other students were not so lucky with the understanding of their peers with the publishing of these events. Draco Malfoy had been the subject of many out-of-sight whispers regarding the alleged bribes his father had undertaken to keep him out of jail for being the suspected right-hand man of The Dark Lord. Rita was not holding anything back as she went after Lucius at the risk of her own safety. Draco, who had come to Hogwarts expecting to rule Slytherin, was now forced to be mindful of his actions in front of the other houses. He didn't have that much to worry about within Slytherin as his name alone commanded him a certain place within their house's hierarchy, and in some circles just strengthened it.

The other Hufflepuffs had done a tremendous job of rallying around Neville and Susan to shield them from the Hogwarts rumor mill. Though, this was an event that didn't generate much gossip besides the wayward looks of sympathy from the other students. Family tragedies were seen as private to the majority of the student populace and they rightfully and respectfully provided space and understanding.

Harry had been sorry to see some of his new friends exposed to the unwanted fame and notoriety and had been at the forefront providing his support. He knew all too well how this could affect someone and wanted to help mitigate some of the bad side effects. The first year Hufflepuffs were becoming extremely close as a result of some of its members having such personal horrors exposed from the past and had banded together in a textbook display of loyalty.

Hermione was new to all of this and couldn't believe that a national, no international, publication had focused on some of her friends and exposed private and extremely personal details about their family. She had hugged Neville and Susan fiercely and told them how sorry she was for all of this. It was very touching in witnessing Hermione display such unabashed human emotions after having started to gain a very bookish reputation during the first week of classes. It helped show her inner compassion and had endeared many puffs to her.

Despite the negatives that had occurred, there had also been positive things that had come out of it and the developing friendships had made it easier for Harry to deal with some of his own issues better. He saw that everyone had things to deal with even though there were considerable differences between what it was that they each had to deal with. It reminded him that everyone's issues were valid and real to the individuals that were dealing with them and didn't make him feel like it was just him that was going through complicated and difficult times.

After a restful sleep, Harry had awoken bright and early that Sunday morning and excitedly made his was to the great hall to get an early breakfast in before he started exploring the castle in earnest with Cedric.

At Hogwarts, meal times were very flexible on the weekends and food was served continuously throughout the morning and early afternoon to accommodate the students that wanted to be up early or the ones that slept in. Dinner was the only meal where it was expected that everyone sat down at the same time to eat. It was a nice option for those with different weekend schedules and gave everyone plenty of flexibility.

Another reason that Harry wanted to get an early start on the day was that he had no intention of being present when The Daily Prophet was delivered. Remus had warned him the previous evening over hot cocoa that it was almost guaranteed that Rita Skeeter would have a follow-up article regarding the trial. This was the scandal of the year and it was getting a lot of publicity. Harry would rather not be around when others started to read about very personal matters relating to him.

Very few people were around when Harry entered and he went over to the nearly empty Hufflepuff table. Normally, the only people up this early on weekends were students that played quidditch. Since the house teams hadn't been filled yet, the students that were present hoped to make their way to the quidditch pitch after breakfast and get some training in before tryouts. The vast majority of students treated Sunday as a day for sleeping in and then homework; they tended to combine breakfast and lunch together before spending the afternoon working on their homework or preparing for the week ahead if they had already finished.

Even those that had played on their respective house teams from last year were mostly present this morning, as it was not automatically guaranteed that you were still on the team. These individuals were looking to keep up with their training and maintain their house positions. There was also the added benefit of seeing if anyone was present that would pose a challenge in securing the same position for another year. The only individuals that were guaranteed a place on the team were the captains, and their respective head of house chose them at the end of the previous year.

Cedric had wanted to play seeker since before he had first come to Hogwarts. He may have been a bit taller than one would expect for someone going out for the position, but his agility and quickness more than made up for his slightly greater height. Cedric had gotten in a solid practice yesterday and had been training during some of his free periods during the week and felt confident in his ability to challenge for the open position of seeker. The previous Hufflepuff seeker had since graduated and their team was in a building phase.

Normally, Cedric liked to sleep in on Sundays - but today there was something that had lured him out of bed.

When he had not been training for quidditch, doing his homework, or hanging out with his friends, he had been perusing the marauder's map with Harry. Besides keeping tabs on the populace of the school, they had been noting all of the interesting places within the castle that no one had seemed to frequent – and other places that couples seemed overly fond of to get a spot of privacy… These spots were going to be avoided for the time being – it would be awkward to stumble upon his classmates in flagrante.

During the week they had made plans to perform a complete and thorough investigation of the castle on Sunday mornings until they were finished. The castle would be ripe for exploration then; most students preferred to sleep in and, thus, they would not arouse as much suspicion at that time. Cedric still couldn't get over the veritable goldmine that Harry possessed and couldn't wait to see what they would uncover.

The third year Hufflepuff entered the great hall and made his way over to where Harry was sitting and helped himself to a generous size portion of bangers and eggs with some toast and fried tomatoes. He liked to indulge a little on the weekends and he needed to keep up his energy levels if he was going to succeed with his quidditch endeavor.

Harry was just about finished with his own meal when Cedric had joined him and he patiently waited for the other boy to finish his breakfast while laying out their game plan. They had previously discussed this at length and Harry was merely summing up what they had come up with. Even though they were desperate to check out some of the more obvious secret passages that were indicated leaving the castle grounds, they had decided that a systematic approach was best. This way they would cover every inch of the castle and perhaps stumble upon a room or passageway that was left forgotten and not indicated on the map.

Remus had mentioned in passing that he didn't think the marauders had discovered everything in the castle, and The Sorting Hat had practically confirmed it.

They both appreciated having more or less a blueprint of the castle in which they could see if all of the space on the map was accounted for and vice versa. This was very appealing to Harry because in the back of his mind he was curious where this Chamber of Secrets was located and figured this would be a great deductive approach to find it.

He hadn't informed Cedric, or anyone else, about what The Sorting Hat had told him about exploring the castle for its lost secrets or Slytherin's hideaway. He would deal with the implications of Cedric finding out about the Chamber of Secrets if and when they found it.

But he did suggest to Cedric that it was possible that this map only showed places that it was aware of and had been to and, thus, provided the older boy with an incentive to go exploring with him. Not that he really needed it when there were secret passageways in and out of the castle or the fact that Cedric was thoroughly enjoying spending time with the younger boy. They had had fun contemplating where some of the passageways led to and had come up with a fair amount of plausible hypotheses and some whimsical ones as well – Harry kept telling himself that with Magic anything was possible. He wouldn't rule anything out until he was sure, and even then he didn't think he would be comfortable until he had a better understanding of Magic's limits.

Harry also hadn't shared the wonders of the invisibility cloak with Cedric just yet. There were some things that Harry had wanted to keep private for the time being. He didn't mind sharing the map, as it was something that could be easily shared and enjoyed with someone else. The cloak was private though, and a deeply personal connection to his family. Perhaps in time he would let Cedric in on these things, depending on how their friendship developed or extenuating circumstances that could happen while exploring the castle.

For all Harry knew they could stumble upon the girls lavatory and the cloak would certainly come in handy if that ever happened. It was always wise to keep some things a secret but there were times when letting them out were necessary and that was definitely one of them.

Cedric finished his breakfast of champions and the two left the great hall while it was still sparsely populated and headed to the top of the Astronomy Tower. They had decided on a top-down approach of various parts of the castle because of the many turrets that existed throughout. In this way, they wouldn't do all of the top floors or any floors all in one go, but would fully explore sections of the castle before moving onto others. It was hoped that this would provide variety and would be easier to keep track of where they had been and allow them to become more familiar with the nuances present in distinct sections. It was hoped that the more of an expert they became in certain parts, the easier it would be for them to tell if something was out of place – perhaps suggesting that something was hidden there.

When they reached the top of the highest tower they finally began their search for Hogwarts' secrets. They had chatted about this and that while being on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary as they moved from where they used their telescopes late at night to where they had lecture every once and a while.

Despite the size and age of the castle, it appeared that the castle had been constructed all in one go and the highest turret seemed just as wizened and weather as the ground floor: stones, décor, and the very feeling that one got was exactly the same up here. It must have been a sight to see it being constructed back in the day. From everything Harry knew about the founders, he would have paid good money to see them all casting and using Magic as they erected Hogwarts. They were legends.

They were exploring a very dusty and underutilized room – which Harry had hoped to find a giant chute that would take one all the way down to the first floor – when the topic of conversation turned to the trial and if Harry had heard anything.

It was because it was Cedric and that he had been there since the beginning so to speak that Harry answered him, as he could see that he was truly curious and wanted to make sure that he was dealing with everything Ok.

"It went as expected" Harry answered truthfully.

"Pettigrew will be put away for life. Sirius had requested that the dementor's kissed – do you know what that is?" He asked Cedric since there wasn't a point in continuing the conversation if he didn't understand that tidbit of information.

Cedric nodded solemnly and looked away at the wall when he answered.

"Most wizarding children are told stories about the dementors as something to fear. Parents are fond of using them as a means to install good behavior in their children – at least that is what my father thinks and abides by. It's crazy to think about though – existing without your soul. It gives my shivers all the way down my spine to think about it. I imagine that is why parents use it to try and keep their children in line; it certainly works."

Cedric turned to look at Harry and there was genuine fear in his eyes as Cedric was thinking about something so precious being taken from him in that manner. There was silence for a few minutes before Cedric spoke up again.

"What were you going to say about Sirius requesting the dementor's kiss, Harry?"

Harry took a deep breath.

"He requested that it was taken off of the table. I guess he had told Remus that he had wanted Pettigrew to remember the treason that had taken people he had considered family away from him. He thought the dementor's kiss was an easy way out because he wouldn't have remembered the pain he had caused."

Harry shook his head and shrugged.

"I don't know how I feel about the situation – I'm glad that I am not the one to decide this – but I can at least understand where he is coming from. You know what I mean?"

Cedric nodded solemnly.

They moved from the dusty room and began exploring the stairs that led them to the floor below. There were a few unused classrooms that were currently being used as storage for everyone's telescopes and they weren't that hopeful to discover anything of note in here.

Harry continued their conversation.

"Remus says that Sirius is doing better than anyone thought he would, but it will likely take a year before he is fully back to normal – if he ever gets there that is. I don't see how anyone could come back and not be changed after living in those conditions for ten years. Just thinking about it is hard for me to process, I can't imagine what it was like for him to actually live through it."

They moved on to the floor below where Professor Aurora Sinistra's living quarters were that took up a good percentage of the area. The width of the tower was now getting larger and the space insides a bit roomier as they descended from the top. There was an unused classroom that yielded nothing in regards to secrets besides offering some nice views. But if anyone came here to have a view they would just ascend two more stories and get a fantastic three hundred and sixty degree view of Hogwarts in all of its glory.

"Has it been arranged when you are going to meet each other? Are you nervous about that? Will Remus continue being your guardian in the meantime?"

Cedric asked questions just like Harry did.

"It was decided that we would meet when we both had had more time to process everything and Sirius would be able to have ore time adjusting to being out of Azkaban."

Harry shrugged.

"I guess I am nervous because he was such great friends with my parents, and I do hope he likes me. But Remus has been great so far, and yes he will still be my guardian no matter what happens. Perhaps Sirius and him could share custody of me in the future. Remus has been telling me all sorts of anecdotes about him and also telling Sirius all of these things about me. And he has told me not to worry about anything and expects our meeting to go smoothly. I trust Remus, and so it helps me to not worry or be as nervous as I could be…"

Harry took a moment to think through what he had just said.

"Does that make sense?"

"I think it makes sense Harry – you don't want to rush this process. I agree with you that being in Azkaban must change someone – how could it not?" He stressed.

They chatted a bit more about the situation as they descended to their final floor of the day. The Astronomy Tower was quite tall and had fifteen stories, which was far greater that the seven stories that made up the main castle.

Nothing of note had been discovered on that floor either and Harry figured that it would take them the rest of the year to fully explore the castle at the rate they were going. They had barely made a dent in any of the possible locations where hidden things could be and he wasn't even adding the time it would take to properly explore new things once they had found them. He hoped to find hidden places within hidden places.

Cedric had then explained to Harry in great detail everything he knew about quidditch in an effort to move onto lighter topics. Cedric had also filled Harry in on some of his family history and what his father did in The Ministry. Cedric wisely avoided asking about Harry's home situation and how that made it feel and would wait until the other boy was ready to talk about things. He couldn't imagine growing up without parents and noted that there seemed to be quite a few Hufflepuffs that were in that boat this year.

It was getting to be lunchtime and they had managed to thoroughly cover the top four floors of the Astronomy Tower. So far they had discovered nothing out the ordinary that they could detect and every square foot seemed accounted for on the map and in relation to their physical surroundings.

They would have to think of a way to test for a hidden expansion charm, even though Cedric had said that it was doubtful that one would have lasted this long. Cedric's favorite subject was charms and he was really good at them and one of the first things that they learned was that Charms were not permanent; however, some could last longer than others if they were created by an exceptionally powerful spell, which had more Magic put into in than the average witch or wizard could generally muster.

Kaa had even tried to 'feel' his way around but it was hard to uncover things with all of the innate Magic of the castle that saturated the air in a heavy coat. He was doing his best to tease out the subtle nuances and was trying to rely on his gut feeling should anything hint at being out of place.

The trio was hardly dejected because they had failed to turn up any interesting leads; they had expected this to be a time-consuming process and decided to call it a day, picking up where they had left off next Sunday. It was also discussed that they should meet at least once a week during the evenings to go over the previous expedition and record anything of note while planning for the next one.

Cedric had suggested that once they got to start exploring more populated areas of the castle that they would have to possibly change their exploration to times when people weren't milling about. They didn't want it to become public knowledge that Harry possessed this map or that they were hunting for secret passageways. Things tended to remain secret it not everyone knew about them.

They had agreed that they would meet on a rotating schedule during the week to account for particularly heavy homework days or, hopefully if Cedric made the team, quidditch practice. Cedric had wanted to make sure that he had sufficient time to get some training in before the tryouts that would take place at the end of September.

Harry and Cedric walked into the great hall and saw that it was about half full. Harry noticed that Neville and Susan and some of the other first years in their house were present and moved to go and join them.

He said goodbye to Cedric and indicated that they would talk later. Cedric waved farewell and went to join some of his own friends. He was particularly close to some of the girls in and around his years because of his charm and easy-going nature. Cedric was an outstanding listener and an all-around good guy. If he had one fault, it was probably that sometimes he focused so much on others than he would neglect his own needs.

Cedric also had a few male friends in his year. His best friend happened to be his cousin on his mother's side, Wayne Hopkins.

On his way to join his new friends, Harry briefly glanced at the teacher's table and was able to catch Remus' eye, who had then moved his right thumb to a position that was more positive than negative. Harry took it to mean that the article in the paper wasn't that bad and Rita was continuing her crusade of written slaughter.

Harry nodded his head and continued on to where Neville and some of the other first year boys were sitting. Harry took a seat between Susan and Neville and helped himself to a generous portion of baked chicken and roasted potatoes with a side of green beans.

He exchanged hellos with those that were present and noted how glad that Susan and Neville appeared to see him. He was also quite pleased that he had gotten to know them as well. Especially when he considered that they all had a shared background that gave them a connection that was hard to describe to others unless they had been through something similar as well. Other may be able to sympathize with you, and few may even have the ability to empathize with what they been through, but they were glad that they had found someone that _knew_ everything that they were feeling on the inside without having to explain.

It wasn't as common knowledge what had happened to Neville's and Susan's family because so many lives had been cut short lost during the terrible war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. And not everyone read the paper when it came in the morning and went on to read all of it. Their stories had been among countless other tales of loss and ineptitude that Rita had been focusing on each day. She had really taken this whole clusterfuck to another level and was decimating some people's reputations. Rita appeared to be on a mission to show everyone just how mightier her quill was to their wand.

Susan's parents had died during a raid perpetrated by The Dark Lord's Death Eaters on Diagon Alley shortly before Voldemort had met his downfall in Godric's Hallow. They were slaughtered along with a muggle-born family and the general consensus had been that they had been in the wrong place at the wrong time until the new information introduced by Rita. Luckily, Susan had been left at home with her grandparents that horrible day. Amelia Bones, the sister of Susan's father and the head of the DMLE, had raised Susan after her parent's death and had done her best to raise her niece. Susan had been forced to endure the passing stares because of Rita's expose on her parents and the fact that her aunt was in the news rather frequently now, responding publicly to Rita's news.

Neville in some ways had it easier because his parents where still alive, but in most ways it was harder. He had only known his parents as they were in their current state, unable to acknowledge his presence and tell him that they loved him. Neville had been being raised by his grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, who had taken the loss of her son and daughter-in-law hard. She had become overprotective of her grandson while at the same time finding herself unable to be emotionally available to him because of her loss that never healed.

Harry had known somewhat of their family dynamics and appreciated their attempt at making this Sirius fiasco easier on him, which he returned in kind when news surfaced about their family. Their friendship was built around knowing what it was like to have people stare at you while talking about the very personal moments you just wished had never happened.

Harry had asked if anyone had a copy of The Daily Prophet and that he might as well look at the article and get it out the way with – but no one had it with them. Neville said he would give Harry his copy when they got back to their dorm. It would probably make sense if Harry got himself a subscription as well, and he decided to do just that when he got Neville's copy of the paper.

They had spent the rest of the meal talking about this and that and other inconsequential matters. The Hufflepuffs were enjoying that the school was no longer sneaking furtive glances their way (or doing less of it at any rate), though he was again impressed by how much tact the majority of the people here seemed to possess. He couldn't imagine saying the same thing about the students at his old school.

As a group, the first years had decided that they would visit their dorms and then take advantage of the warm weather and explore some of the vast grounds of Hogwarts. Neville had given Harry The Daily Prophet, which he had then stored in his room along with his snake. Kaa had been tired from trying to glean anything unexpected from their morning exploration and wanted to nap before dinner. He trusted that Harry would be all right outside with his friends since there would also be teachers enjoying their last weekend of relatively light grading before they would experience quite the uptick in the amount of work that they would take up their personal time.

Harry put Kaa on his bed and scratched his head gently before turning to join the others who were waiting in the common room.

They first spent some time daring each other on who could cross the threshold into The Forbidden Forest and remain there the longest. Harry noted that while Neville was beyond scared – he still made several attempts to cross the edge - and Harry was proud of him.

They spent the remainder of the Sunday afternoon sitting on a tree stump that extending into the great lake. The group of Hufflepuffs chatted animatedly about their first week and joked around with each other, ribbing their fellow classmates about some of the funnier moments that had occurred. Such as Hannah Abbot drooling in History of Magic. She had responded that she was amazed that anyone else had been able to remain awake to notice her drooling.

They were leisurely relaxing and some were even enjoying dipping their toes in the chilly water of the lake and reveled in the ripples created by The Giant Squid. The entire lake's surface was like glass until a tentacle or two poked out and disturbed the perfect calmness.

The sun was shinning brightly on this clear day and still had a warmth to it that they could feel on their faces. It was a perfect moment.

A feeling of camaraderie was in the air and despite their different backgrounds and individuality, they were getting to know each other and getting along quite well. They were forming a rather close-knit group and it was rare that no separate cliques had formed, as was very common in the other houses. Hufflepuffs were quite inclusive of others and reminded Harry of his relationship with The Dursleys. There was a live-and-let-be approach; however, it wasn't cold and standoffish. In general, Hufflepuffs didn't seem to care about where you came from; the only thing that mattered to them was what kind of person you were on the inside and where you were going.

It helped that the year was rather small, and that allowed a group of 10 to become one of the closer class groups in recent memory. The smaller size was due to the war, as it had taken its toll on the breeding population of witches and wizards and had even ended a few lines. This was something that the blood purists had swept under the rug by proclaiming that those who had been killed were blood traitors even though they espoused the mantra that pure blood was better and should be elevated to a higher standard.

The afternoon was fading into evening and the sun had begun to go down, allowing a slight chill to enter the air. The group slowly and reluctantly left its spot by the lake and settled for bringing their feeling of content with them inside as they headed towards their common room to get ready for dinner. There was about a half an hour remaining and each went their own ways to tie up a few loose ends. Harry woke Kaa up from his nap and fed him a medium-sized mouse before he grabbed The Daily Prophet and read Rita's article.

**Pettigrew sentenced to life in Azkaban: Black given life back and pardoned**

By Rita Skeeter

_My dear witches and wizards, yesterday a travesty was corrected and the correct individual been sentenced to life in Azkaban. It pleases me to see that justice was served in The Wizenagamot (for a full account of the trial see page 2), and it is my hope that such a trial is never needed again. _

_It was with a heavy heart that The Minister formally apologized for the misdeeds the newly reinstated Lord Black received at the hands of the previous administration and pledged 100,000 galleons as compensation for wrongful imprisonment. Sirius wasn't able to attend the event in person as he is recuperating in St. Mungos in an effort to assuage a decades worth of horror at Azkaban. Healers at St. Mungos have indicated that Lord Black has suffered greatly and the road ahead will be long and difficult but it is expected that a full recovery is possible. It is hoped that he will be able to rejoin society as a functioning member in a year._

_I was assured that Lord Black is receiving the best treatment and that The Minister was on his way over to speak with Lord Black in person following the events of the trial. A ministry spokesperson indicated that Lord Black's time in St. Mungos was also being covered as further remuneration for his imprisonment. _

_I am told that one of Sirius' goals to encourage him along the healing process is his desire to be there for his Godson, Harry James Potter. The young Potter has just started his first year at Hogwarts, where he was sorted into Hufflepuff, and reports from the school indicate that he is fitting in well. I, for one, wish Sirius a speedy recovery and hope he gets to be that Godfather for The-Boy-Who-Lived. _

_Cornelius Fudge should be commended on his tireless pursuit of justice in this and other matters recently as he attempts to reinstate ideals that have been sorely lacking in our government (for a full listing of further corruption uncovered see page 3)._

The rest of the article primarily focused on how The Ministry was attempting to change things and little else was even mentioned of him. Harry was starting to feel anxiety at the thought of meeting Sirius for the first time even though no date had been set. It was hard to read something about an individual that you should have known your whole life if things had been different and were going to get to know in the future. He wanted things to work out with Sirius and constantly had to remind him to take it one day at a time because that was all that he could do.

Dinner time eventually rolled around and Harry collected Kaa and made a beeline for his usual place by Neville for dinner. Neville had asked Harry if he was up for a game in the common room after since they had finished their homework the previous day.

"Possibly, I have been wanting to play Exploding Snap – but I do have to make a quick stop to see Remus and then I wanted to finish this chapter of a book I'm reading. Hmmm."

Harry thought a moment.

He had made a schedule to start tackling the Voldemort/horcux problem and had decided that he would spend an hour a day reading some of the books he had secretly retrieved from Grimmauld Place. He hoped that this would make him feel like he was dealing with this issue appropriately while not putting all of this weight on him to get caught up as quickly as possible. He knew that it would take years to glean all of this information and thought it best to devote some time each day to learn it little by little.

"How about 8:30 then, common room?" Harry replied.

Neville smiled. "Great Harry!" Then Neville proceeded to dig into his shepherds pie hungrily while Harry started piling mashed potatoes on top of his turkey before smothering it all in a very generous glop of gravy. He was loving the home-cooked quality of the meals here; elves really knew how to cook!

The rest of dinner was a brief affair as far as Harry was concerned. He had caught Remus' attention at dinner and indicated that he would be stopping by afterwards to catch up.

His visit with Remus was quick and was basically a checkup with each of them inquiring as to how the other was doing. They chatted briefly about the article and how Sirius was taking things.

"He is in good spirits, Harry. Even though we weren't worried about him being pardoned, it is still a weight that he is glad to be out from under. He is still having his moments when speaking is difficult but the healers are very encouraged about his progress. We were thinking about having you meet him at Halloween. I can inquire with the Headmaster to see if he will allow you to spend the evening at Grimmauld Place. Perhaps we could have a welcome home party for Sirius and give you two the opportunity to get to know one another?"

Remus looked at Harry with mixed feelings. His wolf was becoming extremely possessive of the boy and didn't like sharing responsibility for him but his human side was glad that Harry was going to get his Godfather back. Remus had kept telling himself that Harry had stated that he would always want Remus around and that he wouldn't be selfish by keeping Harry to himself when there were others that could fill a very deep void in the young wizard's life. Like most things, it was complicated. But he was mostly happy for the two of them.

Harry nodded and his eyes were smiling and full of hope.

"That would be good. I think it is the right amount of time for both of us to come to terms with everything, you know? And I like the idea of it being Halloween. That way, I won't have to always look back on that day as the day I lost something, but can now look at it as the day I got something as well."

"That is one way to look at it, Harry, and a very mature viewpoint as well."

Before leaving, Harry was wrapped in a big wolf hug from Remus and given a fatherly pat on the back before being sent back to his common room. As he was exiting the room, Remus wished that he also have a great week reminded Harry that his door was always open.

His first, full week of classes flew by. Harry was getting settled nicely with all of his subjects and in addition to meeting on Saturdays in the library, his study group had decided to meet on Wednesday as well. They figured they would get a chance to get the first part of their work done then and the second part completed on Saturday. It would give them more time to enjoy the weekends and keep them on top of their schoolwork.

Their classes were also starting to become more interesting as they had gotten a lot of the introductory information out of the way and had dived into their first term material with gusto. The Hufflepuffs were also starting to get better acquainted with the Ravenclaws and sometimes even paired up with members of the other house on assignments were they got to choose their partner. At first, some of the Ravenclaws had been hesitant because they didn't think the Hufflepuffs could keep up with their intellect, but they soon became impressed with all of the hard work that the puffs were putting in.

It helped that Harry was establishing himself as a very good student, and becoming very close to Hermione, who was nipping at his heels as a class standout. She had helped to bring in some more of the Ravenclaws to their study group as Lisa Turpin was becoming Hermione's best friend within her own house.

The diversity of backgrounds and personality was appreciated when they met Wednesday in the library as their different experience provided more insight to some of their work and fostered interesting discussions about Magic. Muggle-borns challenged things that pure-bloods got complacent with and added to the discussion by providing history regarding certain branches of Magic. It was a win-win for everyone

Wednesday was also the day that a very rare occurrence happened within Hogwarts: a Slytherin had willingly approached a Hufflepuff and had asked to hang out. The scene that unfolded in the library was quite shocking to those who had witnessed it as Draco Malfoy sauntered up to their table with Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass in tow, and asked if they could join. He had said that he had done a lot of thinking lately since the article had come out about his father's alleged bribes and wanted to distance himself from that reputation as far as possible.

In addition, he mentioned that he shared Black blood through his mother and that him and Harry were related to each other. For that matter, he claimed relationship to Neville Longbottom through The Blacks as well. However, most of the pureblood families were related if one cared to look back far enough, but Draco would use any angle to further his goals.

Blaise and Daphne had uttered similar comments specific to their family history.

Harry was slightly hesitant at first, but couldn't see himself saying no as it could be just the start to change inter-house relationships at Hogwarts. And Draco was family, however distant, and that meant something to him. The others had followed Harry's lead and welcomed them to their study group.

Draco had to do a lot of explaining when he arrived back in The Slytherin Common Room as to why he was risking their house's reputation by associating with mudbloods and blood traitors. Not everyone thought along those same lines but it was the predominant sentiment.

"Use you brains, idiots!" Draco started to rant.

"Just think about what has been happening. That Rita Skeeter has gone and brought things into light that were best kept where they were: unknown. Public sentiment is overwhelmingly going against us and our beliefs, and, though it is sickening sitting with those buffoons, think about what we will gain in the future. We have an in now and will use our Slytherin cunning to mold the situation to one that fits us and sees us in a better light. If you have a problem with this, you can just take this up with my father, whose orders I am under to salvage some of The Malfoy name and avoid suspicion."

With that he had stormed out of the common room and went to his bed where he started a letter to his father indicating the events that had transpired. Draco wasn't stupid, by any means, and he wouldn't let childish notions prevent him from carrying out his assignment. He had been trained since birth to replace his father and had been given excellent tutors and education on being the head of a house. Even though The Malfoy's were not an Ancient and Noble House, they were extremely well-off and were known as very influential and savvy politicians. Draco saw the reasons for befriending Harry Potter and company and would help his father's plan to elevate the purebloods to a higher standing succeed. They just needed to be patient now and put in some hard work behind the scenes.

Harry had to do some convincing as well to others within the Hufflepuff common room but his battle was less steep than Draco's was. People here were more curious than angry about the entire ordeal. Harry just had to reiterate that they were family, and that he didn't see the harm that could from just studying with someone. Besides, he explained to them, other Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws would be present should anything happen and that he didn't see the problem with developing more friendly terms with the other houses.

He told them that it could even help reduce some of the obvious tension between the other houses that could turn nasty and had even ended with a few scuffles in the hallways.

Most of them accepted his reasoning and respected Harry's, and the other first years', decision to be more inclusive of outsiders.

Cedric had commented on the whole thing when they had met that Thursday to rehash 'operation: explore the castle' plans. Cedric thought it was a good thing but warned Harry that Malfoy's were known for their skill in being savvy and maneuvering public opinion to their favor.

Harry understood his concern, but again reiterated that studying with someone was hardly letting him or her into one's confidences!

Besides, he knew from Remus and his studies with Orion and Walburga that The Malfoy's had been in deep with Voldemort and he was taking a calculated risk. He saw a few explanations for Draco coming up to him: one, he was being played by Draco – but it didn't count if he knew it and was mindful of it; two, Draco could have been sincere and Harry would treat that in kind while being on the lookout for option number one; and three, Harry could also use Draco as an in with The Malfoys. It was a long shot; and he didn't like using people as a means to an end, but if Draco shared things willingly with him and they developed into true friends – then perhaps this would develop into a fruitful relationship for the both of them.

However, it was far too early to think about all of these possibilities and he would need more information before he could get a sense of where the wind was blowing. Draco had seemed genuine and so Harry had went with it in that moment, and that was the end of it as far as Harry was concerned.

Before Harry knew it Saturday Morning had arrived and he was heading to Remus' quarters to have his first session with William Abernathy. Harry had faith that this healer would help him remain centered because he had done such wonders for Remus. It was fortuitous that Healer Abernathy hadn't been assigned to Sirius' care since that would have made it difficult for him to provide both of them with the highest level of care. Despite the oath that he took to guard his patient's privacy and secrets, it would hinder his ability to appropriately provide the best for his patients.

Also, this way he wouldn't be tempted to or mistakenly divulge information that wasn't protected by the oath but still somewhat personal. The oath only covered things that were seen as not being public information, but with everything, there were always loopholes if one knew where to look. Mr. Abernathy was happy that he wouldn't have to contend with that added distraction.

Harry knocked on Remus' door and was let in by his guardian to see Mr. Abernathy sitting on the couch and having some scones with his tea. Harry moved over to join him on the chair and helped himself to the selection of food that Remus had indicated was his since this was during the breakfast hour. Holding the session at this hour would help to not draw attention to the fact that Harry was missing and receiving mental care. The stigma of therapy regarding counseling in the muggle world was still present in the wizarding world, except that it wasn't as looked down upon since Magic did sometimes have a destabilizing effect on the mind. One of the most commons reasons for seeing a mind healer was to help refocus the control over the witches or wizard's Magic again. But that was admitting weakness and some couldn't afford it.

Remus left them after introducing the two for the second time before saying that he would be having breakfast in the great hall and that he would return in an hour.

Harry had just finished eating his first scone with raspberry preserves and was savoring his first cup of tea when William began to explain that the first order of business would be dealing with the oath that he would take to ensure Harry's privacy. It also helped to make the patient feel more open and receptive to the sessions so that they were more honest with themselves. If one weren't being honest with him or herself, then the therapy wouldn't be that much of a help. Denial did no one any favors.

"How are you feeling today, Harry?" Healer Abernathy began.

"I'm Ok. Just a little nervous I guess; I don't really know what to expect yet."

William nodded and gave Harry a warm and encouraging look.

"That is to be expected, Harry. The unknown can be scary, but I assure you that whatever is discussed here will stay between us and I only want to help you through whatever it is that you are dealing with."

The healer stressed this point because it was very important that Harry saw him as someone to confide in.

Harry nodded and helped himself to some toast this time and tried a new flavor of preserves.

"Now, before we begin, I would like to walk you through what the oath covers and all that. After, I will tell you a little about myself, and then, if you have something you want to discuss, you may. But I want to emphasize that I will never force you to talk about something. I may encourage you from time to time if I feel it will be helpful, but it is far more helpful and therapeutic if you participate of your own volition; meaning, I want you to tell me things that you want to talk about, Ok?"

Harry digested both what the man said and swallowed his last bit of toast. He thought that it was great that he wouldn't have to share something if he didn't want to, and it made him like the man more for giving him the option to pass. Harry was more comfortable with this if he could go at his own pace and liked the direction that they were taking so far.

"I like that very much, sir."

The man chuckled.

"You can call me Will, if you want, Harry. I want you to be comfortable first and foremost, and don't feel the need to be proper during these session."

Harry thanked him and used, 'Will,' this time.

Will then proceeded to explain the terms of the oath. They would need to join hands and then Will would cast the spell that would hold him to his promise or that he would lose his Magic. Harry was at first alarmed, but was assured that this was standard practice to ensure the patients' privacy. He still thought it was a tad excessive, but then again, he wasn't forcing the other man into this.

Will then told Harry of specific circumstances in which he could reveal information – mainly having to do with anything harmful ever happening to Harry or if Harry indicated that he would harm someone else. Or if the person that Will was talking with had already known about this issue and Harry had given him permission to talk about it. Finally, because Remus was Harry's guardian, the Magic would allow him to speak with Remus about anything since he was considered a minor. But that he would abide by Harry's wishes whether or not he wanted that to occur.

Harry felt that was reasonable.

And he tried explaining how this oath didn't cover minor things that would be discussed and that the Magic of the spell would decide if it was covered or not. Harry thought it made Magic sound almost sentient and he wasn't sure how Magic would know which things were more important to his privacy than others and asked for a few examples.

"Very astute, Harry. For example, if you were to tell me about a family secret then I couldn't repeat that to someone. However, if you told me that you hated charms then that perhaps wouldn't be covered."

Harry nodded – that made more sense and wondered where the line would be drawn.

Will finished by saying that the oath would warn him if he were ever on the verge of breaking it so that he would have to be pretty brazen and stupid to ignore the warning. Hearing William say that made Harry feel better about the situation.

The Magic was memorizing to watch as William made a series of complicated motions and wisps of different colors encircled over their joined hands. Harry was finding it hard to concentrate on the words being said with this wondrous display in front of him and almost missed his part in the ritual when he would bind and hold the healer's oath with his own Magic. Harry immediately became aware when the Magic had sealed it because the most intense feeling that he had to do something passed through him before leaving just as quickly as it came.

He had asked Will what that had been and was informed that it had been his own Magic binding the oath. William further explained that some of Harry's Magic had gone into him to enforce that the oath was kept.

Their hour was almost up and Will had wanted to set aside the rest of the time to give Harry an opportunity to come to terms with what had happened and ask any further questions. Mr. Abernathy hadn't expected to get into anything serious until their next session. The plan was to start meeting weekly and then decreasing it two weeks and then monthly before settling into a routine where he would come when Harry needed to talk about something. That was how he liked to run his sessions because he hoped to build up someone's ability to deal with the majority of situations and then provide additional support when needed.

Remus returned when their hour was up and walked Healer Abernathy out and then came back to see how Harry was doing. Harry mentioned that it had gone well and commented on some of the Magic that was involved. He had ended with telling Remus that so far he liked the man and that he thought this would be a positive thing.

Remus was glad to hear that things went well for the first visit. Harry left Remus to work on getting some grading and lesson planning out of the way before he went to visit Sirius that night. He was only able to visit him one day a week because of his teaching responsibilities at the school.

Harry had gone to his dorm room to collect his study materials and some letters that he had written Sharptooth for updates about his account. He had also written a letter to Petunia and had it sent to Grimmauld Place where Kreacher would arrange for it to be mailed the muggle way. He had also set up an address where he could be reached at for Petunia to respond.

He had spent a little longer than needed at the owlery petting Hedwig and spending some quality time with her, which she loved. She was nibbling affectionately on his fingers as he fed her some treats before he watched her fly off with her deliveries. Harry then returned to the castle and made his way to the library with Kaa, excited to get his homework out of the way so that he could read some of his other books and explore the castle again with Cedric tomorrow.

**Sorry again for the wait with this update. I am hoping to use therapy to provide Harry an outlet and find it easier to let you know what is going on inside his mind. Let me know what you think: good or bad. Thanks for reading!**


	12. A Very Sirius Reunion

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, time really starts to move faster now and several weeks have passed. I can't wait to introduce some characters and events and really get this story started. It was important for me to get Harry firmly established at Hogwarts and deal (or began to deal) with some of his past. I want him to come across as someone who is more mature and confident in his abilities but on the inside he has issues dealing with things, and perhaps hasn't dealt with them as well as he thought he had. I mainly wanted to introduce a mind healer for Harry because I really think someone who had gone through those events would have serious issues and I think our society has an unfair stigma against people seeking mental help.

Personally, as someone who has dealt with issues by seeing a therapist, this is an important issue to me. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to listen to you work your own problems out and ask a question here or there that you haven't thought of before.

Obviously, I'm not a writer and I find it difficult to put coherent (to other people) thoughts down sometimes – but writing a fanfic was a new year's resolution of mine and it's getting easier to say what I want to say the first time. It means a lot that anyone is reading this and taking time out of their day, so thank you! And a bigger thanks if you take even more time out of your day to critique this. I really read every bit of advice and think about it!

I can't believe it has been two months since I started this and I didn't think I would get to 100k this fast!

Posted 3/16/15

**Standard disclaimer about not owning anything; the world belongs to JK. Maybe if we ask REALLY nicely, she will build a Hogwarts for us? Thank you JK for giving us this gift.**

Kaa slithered across the floor and circled around the wooden bedpost, ascending until he reached the black and yellow comforter that Harry was fast asleep under. The snake had taken to exploring the Hufflepuff dormitories and common room at night, finding it easy to slip in between the cracks in the walls. Outside of Harry's room he was able to conceal himself along the wooden beams that ran along the ceiling, but he usually waited until everyone had gone to bed just as a precaution. He wanted to be sure that an unexpected student who was still awake did not spot him. Only the rare Hufflepuff with a brief bout of insomnia was ever up at these hours anyways, but it was still better to be safe than to make people wonder why a snake was wandering about Hufflepuff. Somebody would think a Slytherin was up to no good.

Kaa inched his way slowly over and then around Harry's sleeping form, and climbed up the headboard to rest on his artificially warm nest that Harry had charmed to be nice and toasty for him. Cedric had taught Harry the advanced warming charm one night after they had finished using the map and Kaa was very appreciative. He preferred being at this height and now that he was comfortably warm, he was able to stand guard and watch over his sleeping companion.

The snake was also very pleased with the progress that his young wizard had made over the past month and a half in a variety of areas.

Harry and Cedric had made significant progress in exploring the castle and had finished detailing The Astronomy Tower and another tower that housed the Ravenclaw dorms. Even though they hadn't been able to enter Ravenclaw at this time, they had managed to find a set of hidden stairs complete with spider webs and burned out torches that indicated this passage had been unused and dormant for years. They had discovered the stairs on the bottom floor of The Ravenclaw Tower that had been hidden behind an old painting in which you had to forcefully push an old stone into the wall that was beside the painting. It was fortuitous that they had found it in the first place and it was only because Cedric tripped and had used the wall to steady himself. The dark passage had led to the very top of the tower and into a smaller, and more private terrace that was above the one offered to everyone of Ravenclaw.

The map had automatically updated itself after the discovery and provided Harry and Cedric a place of complete privacy that no one else knew about. At least that was what they thought.

After this incidence, they had decided to retrace some of their old steps and place their hands against the walls and feel their way around incase they had missed something. However, they hadn't discovered anything else of note using this method and had to be careful to not make others ask why they were walking around the castle hugging the walls.

In addition to his growing friendship with Cedric, Harry had managed to work through several wizarding history books about the time leading up to and including the war with Voldemort. He had wanted to start his foray into understanding his enemy by trying to grasp the events that had shaped his thinking. He hoped to uncover some sort of comprehension for why He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did some of the things during his terror campaign that he did, and that maybe this would provide insight if and when he returned.

Harry had also divided up his time for this extracurricular project with beginning to study the foundations of the various branches of Magic and why something was classified as light or dark Magic. The books that he had pilfered from Grimmauld Place had been instrumental in providing him an unbiased history. So far, he had managed to glean that Magic seemed to be classified according to whomever was in power at the time and wanted to regulate certain spells or charms. Sure, some of the Magic was quite dangerous and could do terrible – and also quite graphic and inhumane – things, but he could also see the use for some of these for innocuous or even benevolent endeavors. For example, one of the spells that would send someone straight to Azkaban for ten years was the skin-flaying spell. Now, on the surface this spell could do quite obvious harm to a human, but to a cook who wanted to skin an animal – and why the spell had been invented thousands of years ago in the first place – it was invaluable for saving time in the kitchen. Even wizards had to eat after all.

No matter what world Harry was in, be that Magical or Muggle, people tended to be hesitant and wary of things that would give someone else a power over them, and they sure did their best to restrict access to these whenever possible. He could see the need to regulate certain spells, but that didn't mean everything should be regulated.

In addition to these 'outside of class interests and general life-surviving necessities,' Harry had settled into a nice routine with all of his schoolwork and homework rarely gave him any trouble. It was only when he wanted to add something more or expand upon a topic that he ran into more difficult material that necessitated him referencing the more advanced texts within the library. But even those were easily digested. Harry found that as long as he put in the work to understand the basic material and proceeded gradually with the level of difficulty then he could follow through with the harder material.

Now, just because this was a reasonable plan didn't mean that Harry would – or could - learn everything. Some things just didn't hold his interest and he would never put in more than the required effort to understand them. Besides, there just wasn't enough time for him to learn that interested him anyways.

With all of his focus on studying, be that in researching Voldemort or with his class material, Harry had firmly cemented himself as one of the best, if not the top, of his year. He was followed closely in academic ranking by Hermione and Draco. Hermione because she was just as studious as Harry was, but didn't have the same reason incentive that Harry had to advance her studies. It wasn't like there was a madman that would eventual come back to try and kill her.

Draco was academically inclined because he was a Malfoy and had had access to the best tutors that money could buy. That didn't mean Draco was Lazy by any stretch of the imagination and wouldn't put in the work; because it had been ingrained in him from a very early age that it took skill and knowledge to fully command all of the power and wealth that he had access to.

Neville was also doing quite well academically, and his friendships had really opened him up. Gone completely was the shy kid who appeared to question his every action. He now showed more confidence in his abilities and was even beginning to enjoy his time in potions.

It didn't hurt that his love of Herbology had given him added insight into the magical properties of certain plants that were used as potion ingredients – and he was using that knowledge and experience to look at other classes of starting material in the same light. It helped to give him a tremendous advantage in that class by understanding the foundation of the items they were using and how they interacted with other elements.

And Harry had been right; Snape was not that bad as long as you put in the work and he had even given Neville a book about essential magical plants from his private collection.

Neville also smiled a lot more and had wondered on more than one occasion if his grandmother would even recognize this new person that he had transformed into when he saw her again at The Holidays.

That change in Neville became more apparent the longer that he was around Harry; and, therefore, Neville was rarely seen without Harry when they were outside of their common room. They walked to classes together and ate most of their meals in each other's company. Harry and Neville even studied together, but they also had fun. They made sure to take time and be kids and enjoy their youth. They took advantage of the outside and managed to not be all work and no play.

However, they were not a duo because of a certain Ravenclaw, as Hermione Granger had also become fast friends with them and joined them wherever they want. In fact, she had even become less uptight about schoolwork. Of course, she still strove to be a star pupil, but was starting to appreciate more and more that schoolwork was not everything. It was nice to see her let her hair down and partake in some of the shenanigans with Neville and Harry.

It was because of his growing appreciation and closeness with his friends that Harry had even shared the knowledge of Kaa's existence with them, along with his ability of parseltongue.

At first, Neville had been quite shocked and had had a very negative kneejerk reaction to this information. Harry was momentarily stunned and had a quite dejected look on his face that had caused Neville to think about his actions and the reaction that he had. He had become quiet after that and had retreated to a corner of the room they were in to deal with his inner turmoil and watched as Kaa and Harry interacted with Hermione. He eventually had come to the conclusion that though this had been ascribed as the mark of a dark wizard by society, he couldn't reconcile Harry as one. Especially with the loving and caring way that Kaa would rub up against Harry's cheek or make Hermione giggle by licking her fingertips with his tongue.

The Longbottom Heir had been profusely apologetic with how he had initially reacted towards Harry's news and had not asked to be forgiven. Instead, he vowed to not be so initially judgmental of something without thinking about things for himself. He resolved to try and not let previous biases get in the way, and he would confront things as they happened and make decisions based on what was presented to him.

After that incident, Neville would sometimes chuckle when he thought just how much Harry's rational thinking was rubbing off on him. Even Hermione had begun taking some of his way of thinking to heart in the intervening weeks since they had become friends. She had even raised her hand to question something a teacher had said!

Harry had been extremely understanding and had forgiven the reaction that Neville had had, as well as Neville – despite his protests. Of course, the event did make Harry think back to how well Cedric had seemed to take to the news of Kaa and parseltongue when he first found out about those little tidbits. It had hardly phased the older puff and he wondered if that was due to Cedric being older and possibly more mature than the others; perhaps he had learned to think about things before reacting to them or he was just that awesome and put together of a person?

Harry had passed the thought aside since he felt awkward asking Cedric outright about that, and in the end it just wasn't that important because it had worked out fine.

Hermione on the other hand hadn't been biased towards his revelation of this gift and had been extremely interested in hearing every detail imaginable about their bond. Harry shared some of the things but didn't reveal everything – for instance, he didn't tell them about Kaa's ability to literally kill someone's soul – and his two friends had promised to keep the knowledge of what Harry had revealed private. They had even returned Harry's gesture and each told something that they had held very close to his or her heart.

Neville had shared that his greatest fear was letting his parents down and that at times he was thankful that he had come so far in such a short time. It was a touching sentiment and they partook in the male ritual of shoulder patting to show support. Hermione had revealed that she was terrified that this was all an elaborate dream and that she would wake up at any time. She still couldn't believe that Magic existed and that was part of the reason why she was so obsessed with getting her hands on every little bit of information: it helped to reinforce that this was real. And while she hadn't revealed something that was as emotional as Neville, the others still acknowledged how personal and important the information had been. It had helped to grow their bond as best friends even more.

Draco, however, hadn't been informed about Kaa or had witnessed what the others had divulged because his interaction with them was mainly limited to the library and being part of their study group. Well that, and the fact that Harry was still wary of the other boy due to the possibility that his friendliness was a ruse. But for now, Harry was going along with it, and he hoped it didn't bite him in the arse later. He had found Draco to be quite hilarious with some of his observations and he was a veritable well of knowledge about wizarding history and culture. Only time would tell where Draco's true allegiances laid and Harry sincerely hoped that he had been honest with them.

Kaa also didn't know how to feel around the young Slytherin because he found it hard to get an accurate read on the boy, and wasn't about to chance his presence becoming known by trying to surreptitiously glance into the young Malfoy's eyes. He had only relied on the general feeling he could taste coming from Draco's pheromones and that hadn't been enough to give him an informed opinion on the subject. It was as if Draco was surrounded by something that distorted his true nature, and although Kaa couldn't get an accurate read off of him – the circumstances surrounding it gave him pause in and of itself.

Kaa's musings about the past couple of weeks were interrupted when Harry began to stir in his bed, stretching his arms over his head. Harry's hands were coming quite close to where Kaa was perched, and he couldn't help playing with his companion by tickling Harry's fingertips with his tongue. Harry giggled at the sensation and then propped himself up to face the snake and begin his day.

"_Good morning, Kaa – did you sleep well?_" Harry asked.

Kaa lifted his head and peered downwards at Harry.

"_Yes. I like the freedom of being able to roam about at night. I trust that you slept well? You looked very peaceful last night."_

Harry nodded and yawned, still in the process of fully waking up. He pulled the covers up around his head, unwilling to let go of the warmth that his cozy little bed provided.

Kaa continued on while Harry was squirming around under the covers.

"_How are you after yesterday's session? I know that the last few weeks have been difficult for you – and have taken a lot out of you. But I do feel like you are finally dealing with a lot of issues and making progress. While I don't enjoy seeing you hitting bottom and in such obvious turmoil, I believe you are in need of these cathartic releases that you have been experiencing. You are getting to the root of these very important issues."_

Harry's eyes reflected the seriousness of what they were talking about; however, they didn't show sadness nor was the color of his eyes dampened by his hardships. His brilliant emerald orbs shown instead with a determination that highlighted Harry's fierce spirit and will to survive and overcome.

Harry looked so much older than his true age in that moment and the smile that he gave was more out of a content feeling than any true underlying joy.

But Kaa wasn't finished with rehashing the hard work that Harry had put into his therapy.

"_I am glad that you were able to recognize how much not having your parents and getting to know them has affected you. Especially with everything that you have now come to associate them with: integrity, bravery, a fierce protectiveness, and of course, love. The more you got to know who they were, the harder it became for you to accept that they were taken away from you before you got to know them. I can't imagine how hard that was for you to come to terms with – and I mean __**really**__ come to terms with."_

Harry turned his head downwards to stare at his pillow and his adult smile transformed into a more neutral expression as he thought about what he had been able to overcome in the past month and a half in therapy. So far, they had focused solely on how Harry had been raised and the issues centering on the deaths of Lily and James, to his childhood with The Durselys, and finally, to his new life with Remus and his insecurities with how things would change when Sirius came home on Halloween.

It was true: Harry had reached bottom in recent weeks, though to him it had felt like he had passed rock bottom and then proceeded to uncover new levels of crap. But he had come back up.

It had helped that Harry had such a high opinion of his mind healer. He was really starting to get comfortable with William Abernathy and it had been a heartbreaking epiphany when he was finally able to see that he had never really come to terms with the events surrounding his parents passing. Nor was he aware of just how much resentment he had had towards Pettigrew for betraying them and taking away a future that he would have traded anything for. Now Harry could deal with this in a meaningful way that would allow him to heal and to move on with his own life.

"_But you were strong, Harry. And I am very proud of you for coming to those realizations and for not shying away from facing them. You know that you are not alone and have people who will stand by you now. You knew this before but I think you now finally understand that_."

Harry took a few measured breaths as Kaa's words had opened up another area that Will had been able to help Harry with.

Will was extremely easy to talk with and Harry found that he didn't have a hard time opening himself up to him, and in his opinion, was more honest with him than he had been with Remus at times. In fact, they had discussed his relationship with his guardian and how Harry was subconsciously afraid of something happening to people that looked after him. Now Harry hadn't told Will about the prophecy or about Voldemort's ability to return at any time, but Mr. Abernathy didn't need to hear about those reasons to get to the root of Harry's problem. While those were certainly issues that made what Harry was feeling very real, they were not the underlying cause of the issue.

Harry needed to comprehend that just because something terrible had happened to his parents, that did not mean that something horrible would happen to Remus, or others, that took care of him in turn. But that wasn't the heart of the matter either, because Harry was able to talk with Will coherently about understanding that it was their choice to watch over him and put themselves in that position. He may not have wanted them to ever get hurt from him or 'take a bullet,' to borrow from a muggle expression, but he understood after long talks with Remus and Kaa that it was their choice. And Harry would always try to respect the choice of other's – even if he didn't agree with them. But the reality was that this was still something that Harry – and most people – would struggle with. Emotions always got in the way of rational thinking. Sometimes it was hard to disassociate how you felt about the matter and the choices that someone else would make.

No, the crux of the issue was about independence and recognizing his own self worth. Harry had had a sudden realization that he didn't like being a burden to others. And even though Remus loved him liked his own, it was Harry who had subconsciously felt like a burden. Harry, who prided himself on self sufficiency had never acknowledged to himself, deep down, that he was not a burden and deserving of love. He had, without fully realizing it, blamed himself for what had happened to his parents. Voldemort had been after him after all, and his parents had been forced to sacrifice themselves for him. Harry didn't want that fate to befall anyone else and didn't know how to fully let someone in because of it.

He had asked Will how someone could be so sure that they were properly dealing with an issue and aware of everything, only to be just exceptionally great at coping with the situation. Will had responded that this was often the reason why people never went to therapy, they didn't think that there was a problem to deal with. Though, Will had stressed that this phenomenon didn't warrant a complete and agonizing review of every issue someone had faced.

He had stressed that people generally knew about the issues that were most important, but had fantastic abilities to convince themselves that they were dealing or had dealt with them. It was the job of the therapist to try and elicit information from his or her patients about whether that was true or not, and then helping the person successfully deal with the issue permanently. Or in most cases – allowing the person to manage their situation to a point where it didn't take away from their quality of life and allowing them to be self-sufficient.

When explained in that manner, Harry could see how easy it was for problems to bubble just under the surface and it gave him a new appreciation that he had this chance to deal with his issues while they were in its infancy. He was very thankful of this opportunity.

Kaa had also been revealed – again, along with his ability to speak with his companion. That had intrigued the healer greatly and he had spent a considerable portion of their allotted time one Saturday speaking to the snake through Harry. In the end, he had been glad that Harry would have someone that he was completely open and comfortable with; however, he had been a little concerned that Harry would or could come to rely too heavily on the snake and would therefore not keep or develop his stronger sense of independence and ability to rely on only himself. Which was slightly at odds with his issues with Remus regarding someone being responsible for him again.

Will had sensed the potential confusion that Harry had with having conflicting problems with his own sense of independence and tried to explain that sometimes people's action didn't have to make complete sense as a whole. Harry could have issues deep down with giving up his own independence with having Remus suddenly being someone that was responsible for him, while at the same time not having that same issue with Kaa, who could develop into a crutch for Harry as a result.

Not that it was bad to rely on others, but in Harry's situation and with everything that had happened or was currently happening – such as dealing with the residual fame from defeating Voldemort (as Harry had not discussed horcruxes with the man yet) – he thought it was imperative that Harry develop his own internal ability to remain centered and strong. Will had shared his observations with the boy and, in doing so, had discovered that Harry had already begun to rely too heavily on the snake. At his core, he craved the love and attention and, most importantly, complete acceptance that he had never truly received in his short life.

Sure, Harry had Remus and Minnie, and even Snape, now and would hopefully be gaining another parental figure in Sirius – who Abernathy's colleagues had been more optimistic in an even faster recovery time than previously thought – but they were different than his relationship with Kaa. They couldn't enter his mind as Kaa could and Harry wasn't granted access to their thoughts in return. His relationship with Kaa was unique and Will had suggested that Harry do these sessions not attached to Kaa. Will had wanted Harry to face some of his discomfort with asking and answering questions alone without the support he had been internally receiving from Kaa.

At first, it had been difficult, and that sudden separation from Kaa had caused Harry to become acutely aware of what he was covering up. He had gotten so used to Kaa always being with him that he had almost forgotten what it was like to be alone and deal with his longing for unconditional love. Since Harry had been denied it for so long – he had never been able to truly accept it from others, especially Remus. He had thought that he had gotten what he had always wanted and he _was_ very happy with what he had now. But he had never completely accepted his situation. It was such a small thing to finally connect and get all of the dots aligned, but it was the most important!

Harry didn't discuss why Voldemort had been after him but Will had cottoned on to the fact that there was more to the story and more to deal with but was focusing on the issue at hand. And he was right, because Harry hadn't successfully dealt with that issue either. But in all honesty, they would only be able to deal with that if and when this one had been taken care of.

And so some of their sessions had taken two hours as Harry had finally accepted that his parents had died in those unfortunate circumstances and there was no place to put the blame on anyone else besides putting it squarely, and forcefully, on Voldemort. Harry had been absolutely gutted during this entire ordeal, where he ultimately allowed himself to be worthy of accepting Remus' love and that it was Ok to view him as a father figure without betraying the memory of his father.

Harry had felt a little silly when it was all over that he had ever felt guilty at Remus' decision to love him unconditionally and had kicked himself for not respecting that it was Remus' choice. Just like his parents had made the choice to die for him and that their deaths were not on his hands any longer. And he would no longer feel guilty for putting Remus or anyone in a dangerous position for being close to him if they chose. This had opened up Harry's eyes that he needed to be more mindful about the choices that others had the fundamental right to make, and even though he understood its importance and prided himself on it - sometimes it was very easy to forget.

Harry had walked out of the last session a formerly broken, but definitely on the way to a being rebuilt, mess. He had taken a break from that day's study session with his friends and had spent the remainder of the day recovering in his room and doing his homework in solitude.

It was one thing to be aware of issues and even understand that a situation existed, but it was quite another – and Harry had definitely learned that – in dealing with said issue. Harry had begun actively working through his problems that he had thought he had handled, but they had merely been scabs that were covering still open and sensitive wounds.

His only other interaction with others that day had been with Remus as he had eaten dinner with him in his private chambers. Remus obliged considering what William had reiterated to him and they had spent some time after dinner playing cards and just enjoying each other's company.

The past week had been a breakthrough in more ways than just beginning to come to terms with all that he was dealing with and a new sense of inner peace – it had also given his Occlumency training a greater connection to the deeper workings of his mind.

In therapy, he had had to go far inside his being to face the demons he was wrestling with and come to an understanding with them. It didn't mean that he needed to deal with them completely, but he did need to become aware that something was still an issue and not just a scab that signified an issue had been dealt with. Harry came to recognize the various open wounds that he still needed to deal with, and with serious work – he would get a handle on them now that Will was helping to put himself back together again.

It was as if Harry had been bandaging himself these last few years, and especially these last few months, to the point that he would still be able to function as if nothing was wrong. But he had seen just how close he had come to losing control of everything and he had been quite thankful that he had been in a controlled environment when the dam had finally broken.

His Occlumency had given him the added insight of seeing into his complete mental landscape and now he would be more actively aware of how he put himself back together again. Sure, it would take a lot of hard, but this was immensely important and Harry would make sure that he did this right. At the same time that he was properly dealing with the issues of his past, he was working at reordering some of his memories as well as strengthening some of his mental defenses. His meditation had improved, and he felt confident that he could progress at a much quicker rate on the next material that Walburga had assigned to him.

With all of this focus on mental healing and moving forward in a positive direction, Harry decided that it would be wise to shelf his animagus training for the time being. He recognized that he wouldn't have the time to do everything properly with the attention that they deserved and this was the least important of things that he was currently working on. No matter how cool turning into an animal would be, it would have been irresponsible of him to not focus on this problem seriously. His health would come first.

Harry brought himself back to the present and squirmed around in his bed pulling the covers over him completely and lying flat on his stomach, enjoying the little nest he had made for himself. Eventually, he got up and forced himself to get out of bed.

Kaa and Harry had then spent some time talking about inconsequential matters as they got ready for the day. Since it was a Sunday, Harry would be meeting with Cedric shortly to continue their exploration of Hogwarts. Today they had planned to explore the area outside of their common room and proceed down the hall to where the kitchen was located. Since they would be so close to the food, they were not going to meet in the great hall for breakfast, but would pick a few things up as they went along. All Hufflepuffs knew that the kitchen was always open and the house elves would serve you whatever you wanted anyway.

The dynamic duo had managed to find a hidden corridor that was known to the elves that connected the kitchens to an unused area that was directly below the kitchens and was used to store pots and pans and all of the dishes. It wasn't as exciting as the staircase they had found in Ravenclaw tower, but it was what was within this previously unknown room that had Harry and Cedric high-fiving. Within this storage room was a statue of a house elf that guarded a circular staircase that descended to the depths below. Cedric had created some blue bell fireballs that illuminated the path before them until they made their way out of the castle and into the light.

The newly discovered passage opened beneath the great bridge that spanned the chasm created by a steep hill on one side and the erection of Hogwarts on the other. Harry and Cedric followed the mighty creek as it flowed into the lake.

"So how has quidditch practice been going, Cedric?"

Harry was curious about all the training that the older boy did. It was obvious that Cedric was quite tuckered out those nights he arrived to the common room after practice.

"Has it gotten any easier?" He followed.

Cedric rubbed his shoulder where he had taken a hit by a bludger during their last practice while answering Harry's question.

"I think I am getting more used to the intensity of it; I thought I was in shape before, but clearly I was wrong."

He paused as they climbed over a fallen tree before continuing.

"Our captain insists on three practices a week. He is really stressed that our first match is against Ravenclaw this year. Normally, we lose to both Gryffindor and Slytherin; therefore, Ravenclaw is usually our only victory for the years we manage to win one. He would have liked us to have more practice, as it is likely our only shot at getting a win this year as well, but I hope he calms down after the match is over in a few weeks. I don't think anyone on the team is enjoying how much we are being overworked. Some people are saying he is worse than the Gryffindor Captain, Olive Wood."

Harry was glad that he didn't have that additional commitment that playing quidditch would require; he wouldn't be able to add that to his existing extracurricular 'stop Voldemort from taking over the world' activities.

"I'm sure you guys will do great; that one practice I went to was awesome. You guys flew so well and I definitely think you will catch the snitch first!"

Cedric smiled at Harry for the vote of confidence and Harry was trying very hard not to go week in the knees because it was aimed at him. He did his best to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and not falling down. They continued walking around the shore and past the boat docks before starting to head towards the expanse of lawn that surrounded The Womping Willow, making sure to keep their distance.

"How are you feeling about Halloween, Harry? Are you nervous about meeting Sirius for the first time?"

Cedric's eyes were serious and full of concern as he addressed the youngest Hufflepuff.

"Eh…" Harry shrugged his shoulders and kicked at the ground as they were walking.

"I am anxious to get this over with. I think it will go fine from what Remus has said and I am looking forward to being back in Grimmauld Place for a night. Remus says that I get to sleep there and he will bring me back in time for Friday's classes to give Sirius and I the entire night to catch up. Kreacher, our elf, is making one of Sirius' old favorites… I think. It'll be nice to get to know someone else that was so close to my parents."

Cedric nodded encouragingly.

"It'll be nice to be among 'family' as well. This is the first year that I will have known everything about my parent's deaths – you remember that The Dursleys didn't tell me a whole lot because they were muggles – and I would prefer not to be here amidst all the celebrating that will surely go on from what I hear. I think that would be hard to face right now, honestly. I don't really feel like celebrating that day."

Cedric felt slightly ashamed that he had brought up this topic that had led to this conversation. The last thing he had wanted was for Harry to get morose over thinking about his parent's death.

"Harry – I didn't mean to intrude… I"

Harry waved him off.

"It's Ok, don't worry about it. It's a good thing that I won't be here. I will be among family and friends… It's a positive thing, and I am quite thankful I get this opportunity."

Cedric let it go and wondered if other people ever thought about the people that had died to rid them of Voldemort. He wished that there was something he could do to show them respect…

By the time they made it back inside, it was close to lunchtime and they went their separate ways, both feeling a little torn. They were certainly making progress and had discovered something new, and they very much enjoyed their friendship and the ability to be frank with one another; however, both left with serious thoughts swirling through their minds. Harry was less Ok with the idea of the anniversary of his parent's death than he had let on, but he didn't want to bother Cedric and end their morning on such a negative note. Cedric, meanwhile, was thinking hard about a way that he could introduce some way to honor the memory of Harry's parents and all those who died fighting The Dark Lord.

The rest of the week really picked up speed for Harry after his lunch with Neville and the rest of his year mates. He was focused on getting all of his work out of the way so that He and Remus could leave after their last class on Thursday and head to Grimmauld Place. Harry wanted to be able to spend as much time as he could getting to know his Godfather and begin to make up for lost time.

Before he knew it, Harry was standing in The Headmaster's office fidgeting nervously as he waited for Dumbledore to activate the floo that would take them both to Grimmauld Place. Harry was excited that they could take the floo this time and wouldn't have to walk until they passed the boundary of the castle's wards; It meant that Harry got to spend as much time with Sirius as possible.

Remus had explained that Sirius had actually gone home to Grimmauld Place the previous evening to get settled in. It would be too stressful moving back to his ancestral home which hadn't exactly provided him with the best memories and being reunited with his godson on the same day. Remus was pleased with how Sirius was handling everything when he had left after getting him settled in, and he was looking forward to the two finally being in each other's presence.

Remus squeezed Harry's hand tightly and lovingly patted the top of his head.

"Don't be nervous, Harry… everything will work out. Sirius is settled in and excited to get to know you after all this time."

Harry breathed in deeply and exhaled slowed before turning to look at Remus and giving him a small smile.

"I know. I can't help it."

Remus chuckled at how cute Harry was being despite his nervousness.

"And Kreacher really has gone all out with the food. He made entirely too much for just three people – I think they will be eating leftovers for a while." Remus smirked at him.

Harry rolled his eyes. Of course Kreacher would do way too much; Harry wouldn't have been surprised if Kreacher had managed to have a pig roasting over hot coals for this momentous occasion of having Sirius come back.

Harry took another moment to steady himself before following Remus' lead and saying, "Grimmauld Place."

Harry shot out of the fireplace and managed to catch himself before taking a nosedive in front of Walburga and Orion. Harry greeted them with gusto since it had been two months since he had seen or spoken with them. He had grown incredibly fond of the pair in the month that he had stayed with them and missed them terribly.

"Harry," Walburga began.

"I trust that Hogwarts is going well and your classes are going smoothly?"

She raised her eyebrow slightly at him. Though she too had grown fond of him, she would not tolerate him bumbling through his classes considering all the work they had put in.

"First in the class, and I have missed you as well." Harry said playfully.

"Very good. And I trust everything else has been all right as well?"

Harry nodded again and had to repress a chuckle at her version of 'hello, how are you?'

"Really dear, that is no way to great someone. Harry my boy, get into any trouble so far?" Orion joked, slightly mocking his wife who quickly picked up on it.

If portraits could elbow someone, then that is what Walburga would have been doing. As it was, she was shooting menacing glances at her departed husband. But underneath it all was a very strong bond that few had ever been privy to see. Orion and Walburga Black had been a perfect team and had been, or still were, deeply in love.

Remus was waiting patiently on the side of room for the antics to die down and then led Harry to the dining room where Sirius was attempting to pour his own drink, much to Kreacher's ire. Harry got the distinct impression that he was playing with the elf.

Sirius looked up as they entered the room and his eyes quickly scanned over Harry, trying to take as much of him in as possible and committing everything to memory.

"Harrrrry," Sirius practically blurted.

Harry return Remus' pressure on his enclosed hand.

"Hello, Sirius…" Harry paused, unsure of how to continue.

How did one decide how to handle this situation and say hello to someone that you should have known all of your life? Harry had had a game plan before heading over and had spent some time imagining how this conversation would go. For the life of him, he couldn't remember how it began, or ended. For that matter, he couldn't recall anything.

Sirius seemed to be right there with him. The older man looked much better than his pictures has showed in The Daily Prophet when he had first gotten out of Azkaban. The gauntness was gone from his cheeks and they had a nice color to them now. His brown hair was clean and wavy and framed his face as it fell to his broader shoulders that signaled he had managed to put on some weight. He was wearing a pair of relaxed black trousers that he had paired with a comfortable knit sweater that looked a little too warm for the situation. Sirius couldn't stand the cold after Azkaban and preferred to never feel a chill that would remind him of a dementor if he could help it.

"Sirius," Remus called in his attempt to break the ice as he walked over to the man with Harry in tow. Remus could see both of them just standing there for a while and decided to just get this difficult 'hello' out of the way and move things along.

"How are you, padfoot?" They embraced in a brotherly hug.

"Better every day, moony." Sirius responded with his chin on Remus shoulder as he peered down at Harry.

Remus and Sirius separated and Harry's godfather approached him and knelt down to one knee so that he would be at his eye level.

"Harry…"

"Sirius…"

They said at the same time. Remus was watching the entire thing and thought that they made the cutest and most awkward pair ever. He was certain that they would have a great relationship once they got over this reintroduction process.

The moment Remus had thought about it, they seemed to fall into each other's arms.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, pup. I was stupid to go after Pettigrew. I should never have left you alone after that. I will spend forever making up for it. I promise. I'm never leaving your side as long as I live or as long as you'll have me… and even then I will still be there for you."

Harry could only squeeze harder as he felt the nervousness leave his body as a familiar feeling, long forgotten, warmed him from his heart. He could almost remember this man before him and he was very content in this moment.

It had taken some time before everyone acted normal after that, but by the time that they had finished dinner and were talking on the couch it had become just that. There was an ease about everything as Harry talked about Hogwarts and his discoveries so far with using the map. Something which Remus feigned ignorance towards by covering his ears and proclaiming that as a professor he wasn't hearing any of this. The act had made Harry and Sirius guffaw.

They talked about classes and some of his friends that he had made and Sirius had began telling him stories about his parents that even Remus hadn't heard. Harry was practically grinning from ear to ear as he heard about how his father had courted his mother and then finally won her over. They didn't talk at all about that night or any negative events and by the time they went to sleep that night, both had been as fulfilled inside as they had ever been.

Harry had woken up at his usual time the next morning and had gotten ready to head back to Hogwarts. He had also managed to steal another couple of books now that he had a much better understanding about some of the basics of Magic and knew which books to select. He then headed to the kitchen where he had asked Kreacher for a simple breakfast of oatmeal and some juice before pulling out a book and busying himself until the others arrived.

He had just finished his first of cup of tea when the others joined him; Remus was fully dressed for his classes that day while Sirius had a dark red robe drawn around his waist.

Kaa was stretched out on the table, keeping himself warm by being next to, but not touching, the pot of tea. Sirius had taken to meeting Kaa very well, in part because Remus had told him all about and he had had several weeks to get used to the idea. Sirius couldn't deny the ease in which they interacted and how Harry would scratch Kaa's neck softly without even being aware of it. He also noticed how protective Kaa was around Harry and noticed his guarded and protective stance. As a godfather, Sirius was very happy that Harry had that kind of protection, no matter his discomfort with the idea of it.

The Daily Prophet arrived and it meant that Harry and Remus would be leaving in about 30 minutes to head back to the castle. While Remus read the paper, Sirius and Harry talked more about the upcoming holidays and things that they could do and just in general how much fun they would have. Harry could hardly wait for it.

Remus had caught Harry's attention and had directed him towards a section of the paper in the back in which select articles that readers submitted were published.

Harry's eyes widened as he read the short article that Remus had pointed to.

**In Remembrance**

By Cedric Diggory

_Samhain has always been a time when families privately honored their departed loved ones and prepared for the upcoming darkness of winter with a last celebration of plenty. It is right that we remember those who have gone on and are thankful for the bounty of the prior year. However, we should also honor and remember those who have made our society better and safer. This year marks the 11__th__ anniversary of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's downfall and while we celebrate our freedom, we speak too little of those who helped make it possible. We should all take a moment and remember, every year during this time, those who we owe so much too. To The Potters, and The Longbottoms, and The Bones… and countless more – we owe you our lives and we are very grateful. You are not forgotten and your memory lives on in us all._

Sirius knew that something was up as he saw tears start to form in Harry's eyes and he looked over concernedly at Remus.

Remus mouthed 'later,' but Sirius was impatient.

"Harry, is everything all right?"

"Everything is great, Sirius… I just have some really great friends."

**Let me know what you think! And thanks for reading!**


	13. The Unexpected Joys of Parenting

**Author's Note: **First, thanks for reading! Second, I know I spent a little too much time in Harry's head but I wanted to wrap some things up properly. It is important that my Harry is more centered for the events to come and he needed to get a better handle on some things. The same thing goes for Sirius – I really can't imagine what 10 years in that place would have done and I tried to deal with it as best as I could. This chapter moves things along again and I had so much fun writing the interaction between Sirius and Remus

Your reviews and support mean a lot and encourages me to write quicker. The past few months have been really hectic and I really don't know how I find time to write anything. But my schedule frees up for a while so hopefully I can continue my weekly updates.

Posted 3/23/15

**Standard disclaimer about not owning anything; the world belongs to JK. Maybe if we ask REALLY nicely, she will build a Hogwarts for us? Thank you JK for giving us this gift.**

Remus used his preternatural sense of smell as he inhaled deeply, taking note of all of the different scents that clung to Harry when his young charge hugged him goodbye as he left his quarters one Sunday night after stopping by after dinner. Remus catalogued the various odors that signified who Harry hung out with that he unknowingly carried with him, and that any werewolf worth his weight in silver would detect. Remus could smell each little nuance on everyone in Hogwarts that alerted him to who they spent the most time with.

Whether he wanted to or not, he was aware of every couple – be they friends or something more - in Hogwarts because he could pick out which people smelled the same or close to the same combination. He knew which students hung out with each other because he could smell it on them, literally. It wasn't even something that he had to consciously think about; it was second nature to most of his kind and it was always heightened after the full moon. His brief time spent in wolf form would temporarily elevate his already advanced sense of smell to otherworldly levels, and it was during these few days that he was more aware of his abilities before he got used to them again.

It was how he had known that Lily and James and shared their first kiss – they literally reeked of each other for days afterwards. Their scent was much different than usual because they hadn't hung out as much until that first kiss happened, forever shaping the rest of their lives. His ability was also how he knew before even going into Ron's room to nab Pettigrew where the rat was located. It was an immense boon to Remus and he was actively aware of using it now to watch over Harry and see if anything was amiss.

Harry had all of the usual fragrances signifying his friends: Neville and Hermione were quite evident, along with Hannah and Susan and some of the other first years. He wrinkled his nose slightly at the musk left by Malfoy – already aware because Madam Pince had informed Remus of what had occurred that day in the library. He had been sneaking glances at Draco whenever he could to see if he saw something that would pose any threat to Harry or counteract how he behaved in their study group. So far nothing had happened that indicated there were ulterior motives, but one could never be that sure when a Malfoy was involved.

He knew that Harry had been hanging out with Cedric occasionally during the week and he figured it had all stemmed from that first night when Harry had alerted him to Peter's presence. But the smell was becoming more saturated lately and it gave Remus pause. He was fairly certain that Harry was gay, but wanted to wait until the younger boy brought it up. He didn't want to intrude and figured that Harry would come out when he was ready, and if Harry wasn't gay – then he wouldn't have to deal with it.

That didn't stop Remus from slipping some comments here and there about his positive and supportive views on the topic; he didn't want Harry to ever worry that he would reject him for something like that. And Remus was good at subtly injecting various comments that painted a very open and welcoming atmosphere without Harry being obvious about what he was doing.

But Harry was a little young to be dating and he would have sworn that Cedric was straight. Not that he cared if it ever did happen, but it was the parent in him that thought about these things now. He had started paying more attention to the matter after Cedric's letter had appeared in The Daily Prophet. Harry had been genuinely touched and Remus had paid attention to the hug that Harry had given the other boy when he thought that no one was looking when they arrived back at the castle – there was something going on between those two but he couldn't put his finger on it.

If he was being honest with himself, it was more of a brotherly interaction that they had going on. Cedric seemed very protective around Harry, but he always acted like a big brother that was just watching out over a younger sibling. But Remus still thought he was missing something.

And the letter had endeared Cedric to Harry's friends, especially Longbottom, who had begun treating the older Hufflepuff in a similar, but distinct manner. It was more like a good friend as opposed to a sibling.

Harry had been through too much and had made such good progress according to Will that Remus would keep an eye out on how things developed. Any good parent would do the same for someone that they loved and were responsible for. And Remus was also jumping into the parenting game a little late – he had to think quickly on his feet and adjust to his newfound responsibilities while learning on the job so to speak.

The following school week went by incredibly fast as homework was beginning to pile up in anticipation of the Holiday break that would start for Christmas in a few weeks. Remus always tended to give his students a rather light load, if anything at all, but made up for it by giving them the work to turn in before hand; he wanted them to be able to spend the time at home and relax. He didn't join in with some of the other teachers who tended to assign quite a fair bit of work because he wanted his students to be refreshed for when they came back.

It was a very relieved Remus that greeted Friday night when it arrived, and not just because it brought an end to the classes for the week. Sure, now he had the entire weekend ahead of him and it would allow him the opportunity to get caught up with grading and planning for the weeks ahead. But Friday nights were reserved to spend some time with Sirius.

Normally, teachers spent most of their time at Hogwarts during the school year, but this was mostly due to the requirements of teaching and not any hard and fast rules. There were married professors or other circumstances that necessitated a visit home or away from time to time. It was all about time management.

For Remus, Friday nights were the most convenient part of the weekend to slip away for him since Sirius had returned to Grimmauld Place to continue his recuperation at home. While everyone else gathered in the great hall, Remus headed towards the courtyard in the direction of the bridge that would lead him outside of the castle's wards. Remus preferred a little walk to get himself mentally prepared for the night ahead, and the cold air helped to clear his mind and leave his Hogwart's troubles behind.

He was looking forward to eating a sumptuous meal prepared by Kreacher and catching up with the old marauder over a couple of muggle beers just like old times. It gave them time to talk about what Sirius was going through on the inside and give him another person to talk with besides the mind healers that would visit him during the week. But equally important, it gave both of them something to look forward to; something that brought them both out of their tendency to over focus on past events.

Because both of them were dealing with issues and they found it therapeutic to be able to talk frankly to one another, as if they were back in Gryffindor Tower. They used this time to reconnect and deal with the loneliness and other predicaments that bubbled just under the surface. Sirius had deep scars caused by his isolation and abandonment in Azkaban, but that was only the beginning of where his problems started. The mind healers were dealing with those deeper and more serious issues because they involved very real physical manifestations of psychosomatic illness that threatened Sirius' ability to function normally.

For example, years of what amounted to torture had left him in a state where his primal urges could override his decision planning abilities if he didn't have a complete handle on things. Sometimes when he was hungry or thirsty he didn't know when to stop because he had endured years of being denied even the most basic comforts. This was why the mind healers estimated a year before he had the mental faculties to be able to decide things rationally and build up a tolerance to that lack of control and inability to properly regulate and monitor his actions. He was making tremendous progress, and he was motivated by Remus and Harry to continue his journey every day.

And Remus, well… his situation was quite difficult to put into words as well. Only years of him seeing William for continuous therapy had allowed him to come to terms with how he felt on the inside. However, this proved to be quite useful because this enabled him to know part of what Sirius was going through. They had lost James and Lily, and technically Pettigrew, and that was something they could bond over, and both of them needed that.

Remus apparated to Grimmauld Place and climbed the steps to enter the home that was hidden to those not keyed into the wards. Sirius was in his usual position by the fireplace on the second floor reading a book ensconced comfortably in a plush chair.

"Remus," Sirius intoned happily as he put the book down and rose to greet his company.

A brief hug was exchanged before they sat down in opposing chairs to wait until Kreacher called them to dinner.

"How are things, Sirius? Did you get things taken care of at Gringotts this week?"

Sirius nodded. He had been making trips into Diagon Alley everyday to meet with Sharptooth, who had been recommended by Harry, to deal with The Black Family Account, as well as his own personal vault.

"I have spent most of the week reviewing the bank statements and getting advice on how to proceed with some of my own intended investments. Did you know all that Harry had accomplished with his accounts?"

Remus shook his head slightly from side to side.

"I can't say that I know much about it. Minerva briefly explained what had happened when they had gone into Diagon Alley and Gringotts when they got Harry's supplies back in August. I believe she had mentioned that Harry was in good hands both financially and with the goblin in charge of the accounts."

"His name is Sharptooth," Sirius supplied again.

"And I really like him. I can't believe that Harry did all that on his own; the accounts were completely taken care of. All I had to do when I got there was get caught up with what investments were being made for the main vault and I can't say that I disagreed with any of them. The only questions I needed to ask were about recommendations for what to do with the money I received from The Ministry."

Sirius had been pleasantly surprised to find that most of the financial aspects were taken care of. He had deposited his payment for false imprisonment into his own account but had moved the contents of the vault at Grimmauld Place into The Black Family Vault in Gringotts to keep better track of everything and give them more capital for investing. He was also relieved to see that he was set with income for the foreseeable future and it took some of the pressure off and he could focus solely on himself and Harry.

Sirius had never been astute with money, but now he was in a position where he was the responsible adult – it was ironic to think that the Sirius that had shirked away from duties in the past had now come full circle to accept them willingly. Shockingly, his parents had let the issue past without comment, but they were both aware, and proud, of the changes in their son. They just wished that it had been a different set of circumstances that had elicited the change.

"Harry really is something else, isn't he?" Remus had an amused glint in his eyes that brought Sirius back to the present.

"You're telling me, Moony!" Padfoot remarked.

"Sometimes I feel like he is so mature in some areas that he doesn't need an adult. Which is absurd, because Harry, of all people, needs someone to be there for him. It is one of the reasons why I try so hard everyday. You know?"

Remus nodded understandingly. It was obvious that Sirius cared for the boy more than his own well-being, and it really was the primary reason for why Sirius was even back in this home that he had spent so much time detesting.

"I need to be there for him, Remus… Harry deserves as many people as possible to make up for everything that has happened… or will happen if Vold-d, you-know-who comes back."

Sirius looked uncomfortable with saying the name. Not because he was scared – he would be damned if he would let that thing close to Harry or anyone that he loved again.

Sirius was uneasy because you-know-who had many supporters locked away in Azkaban. Over the years, the insane mutterings of Bellatrix Lestrange had forever associated Voldemort and dementors in his mind because that is all he was reminded of when he was there: those horrid creatures and her screams for her master. Well that and being innocent of why he was there – but that wasn't exactly a pleasant thought. He would have to face this eventually, and he had hope that he would get there. Everyday, he felt like he was getting a piece of his mind back and was able to face harder and some of the more unpleasant things that he was working through.

One of those things was been learning about Regulus. Sirius had been devastated to hear the story about Regulus and the sacrifice that he had made. It was because of his brother, and what he was learning in therapy to let go of the past, that he had made peace with Severus. To be clear: the two weren't friends; but they were connected through Regulus and each of them just focused on that to be able to tolerate one another. It was like they just ignored everything that had every happened between them in the past.

All of these thoughts were making it clear to Remus that Sirius was deep in thought about something and he was curious.

"Everything, Ok?"

Sirius looked up startled at losing track of things; he was just used to withdrawing inside his mind and oftentimes forgot that others were present.

"Just lost track of my thoughts."

Sirius thought back to what had started him off on this tangent and he refocused his thinking. He wanted to emphasize how he viewed Remus and his friend's presence in his godson's life.

"Remus, to be clear, you know I think you are capable of taking care of Harry. And I can see how much you mean to each other, and I am so glad he has that support. I just want to help and be there as well with you both and…"

Remus held up his hand.

"Stop, Sirius. You don't have to explain this; I understand. I want you there for him as well, and I want you to get better. We have both suffered enough and you're right: Harry should have as many people there for him as possible and we will be a team in this."

Sirius smiled at his old friend, thankful that he saved him the embarrassment of continuing with his spiel. Sirius had never been one for words, well, that wasn't entirely true. He sure knew how to woo a woman.

They both shook their heads, both correctly guessing what the other one was thinking.

Sirius stood up with slightly blushing cheeks and made his way to the bar.

"What can I get you, you old dog?"

Remus had to chuckle at that.

"I have not now or even been a dog, Padfoot. I wouldn't claim to know what flees felt like and can't sympathize with you."

Sirius smirked at his comeback as he poured them both a nice stout to drink before dinner. Kreacher was making a rich stew tonight and the beer would pair perfectly.

He raised his glass towards the one person in this world who understood him best and they took a silent toast in appreciation that at least they had each other and Harry. It was a very modern family; two straight males, one a werewolf and the other a former prisoner coming together to raise their deceased friend's child who was prophesized to fight a Dark Lord. Even by wizarding standings it was a lot to take in and process, but it was what they had to do.

They moved towards the dining room and took a place next to each other among the oversized table that could fit twenty people.

"How is Harry doing, Remus?" Sirius had been beyond impressed with the boy at Halloween, and with every detail that Remus would tell him he became even more enchanted with his godson.

Remus's advanced nose couldn't help but begin to take apart the various tantalizing odors coming from the meal that Kreacher had just placed in front of them: lamb stew with roasted potatoes that were unimaginably tender. His first bite only intensified his senses and Remus could swear that he could taste the grass that the lamb had fed on. Kreacher's cooking was above average, even for a house elf.

Remus eventually responded to Sirius' comment about their charge, noting that he too was savoring every bite. It was the little things that Sirius appreciated the most these days and he never took a single thing for granted, because that is what Azkaban had done to him.

"He is so like his parents, Padfoot. He has all of Lily's smarts, but with James' sense of adventure. He has a great group of friends and has really hit his stride with his academics. I am so glad that Will was able to see him and I think he has really blossomed and opened up. There is a weight that is gone from his shoulders and he seems so happy now, Sirius."

He took a moment to collect himself. All of these parental hormones were surging through him and threatening to make him cry because of how proud he was of the boy.

Sirius was right there with him. Even though he had met the boy once, they had been exchanging letters and had gotten to know each other more in the weeks following their reunion. They were usually short and not very detailed with important and personal information, but it was enough to anticipate hearing from someone everyday and slowly getting to know each other. Sirius was very much looking forward to the coming holidays and the extended time that they would have to really be a proper family for the first time.

"And has he found his Lily yet?" Sirius asked, half jokingly and half earnestly. James had been over the moon with Lily the first time he had seen her and no other girl ever held a candle to her beauty for him. As far as he was concerned, Lily was the only girl in the world.

Remus sighed, and that did not go unnoticed by Sirius. Remus was unsure whether to vocalize his suspicions about Harry's sexuality. He wasn't one hundred percent sure, but he was pretty sure and didn't want to bring it up; he didn't know how Sirius would take it.

"Well," Remus began hesitantly, "Harry has some close friends who are girls but nothing to indicate a potential interest among _them_." He subconsciously stressed the last part.

Sirius took note. He was not as daft as people had thought he was, if anything things went over his head because he was disinterested in them. When things mattered to him, and Harry certainly was at the top of that list, he didn't miss anything.

"So… is there a boy that has gotten his attention?" Sirius announced in a frank manner as he helped himself to another portion of stew and refilled both glasses of stout.

His stomach was still getting used to the sensation of being full now, but it was so delicious and comforting that he couldn't stop himself even if it made him uncomfortable.

Remus's eyes darted up from his place and he opened his mouth in realization that he had been more forthcoming than he had wanted to. Crap, he didn't mean for this to happen.

"I don't know for sure, Padfoot, but I think Harry may be gay." Remus was looking at Sirius nervously for any sign that he would take this badly. This would not be good for the developing relationship between Harry and Sirius – nor would it be good for his relationship with the boy if he unintentionally 'outed' him.

Sirius raised his eyebrow as he placed Remus' now-filled glass before him.

"Really, Remus?" Sirius said in a mocking tone.

"You think Harry could be anything that would make me uncomfortable or stop loving him?"

Remus looked properly ashamed, but he wouldn't have done things differently. He was a parent and had to place Harry's needs above his own.

"I just want the boy to be happy, Remus." Sirius sat back down and ran his hands through his hair that finally had all of its luster and sheen back.

"I don't care who he is attracted to or how he identifies. My only concern is the road ahead for him… I can't bear to see him hurt or faced with the realizations that being gay will add to the weight from being the 'savior.' It will make things harder for him and that is something I will worry about."

Sirius pushed his plate away from him. He was no longer was in the mood to over-indulge in this meal when there were potentially important implications before him.

Remus nodded in agreement. He felt very much in agreement with Sirius on that.

"I know what you mean, Sirius. And again, these are only my suspicions. You know how my sense of smell is – I know everyone that he spends in prolonged contact with."

"So is that what makes you think he may be gay?" Sirius asked curiously as he took a sip from his stout that warmed his stomach as the alcohol raced through his body, providing him a temporary sense of comfort and contentment.

"Well, it is a part of it, but I have noticed how he interacts with one boy in particular and it is very strange. I would hesitate to classify anything other than a big brother watching out for a younger sibling, but at the same time, I know that isn't an apt description of how they interact. There is something that I can't explain that makes me think there is something going on between the boys. But, I will emphasize that I don't think they are aware of this – they just enjoy each other's company for the time being."

Remus had finished his own meal and was sipping at his beverage, looking for the same comfort that Sirius was currently getting out of his own glass.

They moved to the fireplace and continued their discussion amid the roaring fire.

"So who is it, Remus? Who is the future, Mr. Potter?" Sirius said jokingly.

Remus snorted.

"It never ceases to amaze me how you can be so mature one moment and then proceed to inappropriate in no time at all."

Sirius winked at him, then attempted to reign in the conversation.

"In all seriousness, Remus. You know me, and that's how I deal with things. Plus, it makes people's reactions priceless."

"And it's such a great quality, mutt," Remus responded sarcastically before being serious again.

"Cedric Diggory, he's a Hufflepuff and a third year. He is the new seeker for them as well, in fact the first game is tomorrow… you should come."

Sirius was both tempted and scared at the proposition. It would be his first time back at the castle without James and Lily and the only place he had been since Azkaban. Well, besides St. Mungos, Grimmauld Place, and Diagon Alley. It was slightly uncomfortable to think he was ready for that, but he so wanted to see Harry again. And see this boy and gather his own opinion on the subject now that he had heard Remus' thoughts on the matter. Though he didn't think he would actually be able to watch them interact since Cedric would be playing. But he could see Harry and that was difficult to pass up.

Remus was paying close attention to Sirius' reaction and decided to give an added incentive.

"We could use glamours, even. Going incognito would allow you to be there without anyone even knowing. Ease you back into the whole society thing, in time you could be able to meet Harry there for games in the future."

Remus knew how to bait Sirius, and it worked. Though, it wasn't like Sirius would have said no to this opportunity, or any opportunity, if he got to see his pup.

"Well how can I refuse that offer?" Sirius smiled as he sat back into the couch and rested his head while closing his eyes, wondering about what tomorrow would bring.

"Is that Amos' boy?" He thought aloud, fairly certain of his lineage but asking Remus to confirm.

"The very one."

Remus finished the rest of his drink and checked his watch. It was getting late and he would have to leave soon and head back towards the castle. Teachers could leave during the evenings, but it was preferred that everyone slept in the castle just in case something happened with the students. Hogwarts was responsible for their health and well-being after all.

"He wrote that letter in The Daily Prophet, right?" Sirius remembered the deeply satisfying and heartfelt look on Harry's face as he told him that he had some great friends. Maybe Remus was reading into things correctly, that level of friendship to go and do something like that was a little advanced for how short a time they had known each other and their respective ages. It was something that even James and Sirius wouldn't have done for each other and they had known each other for years by the time they went to Hogwarts. But that was more due to them not being as outwardly emotional in how they expressed how much they meant to them.

Cedric's letter was very mature and a little out of character for someone his age doing that for only his friend. It was a thought-provoking realization and needed to be digested some more.

Remus nodded again. He had longed since worked through the same logic that Sirius was now beginning to process. Maybe this was a good thing to get Sirius' opinion on the matter.

Remus added a little more food for thought.

"The letter endeared Cedric to all of Harry's friends. Especially, Neville Longbottom and Susan Bones. They really appreciated the sentiment. Say what you will about Hufflepuff, and in our past we were guilty of making fun of them, but it is a rather impressive display of support among students so young."

Sirius nodded in acknowledgment of their past didoes. 'Perhaps Hufflepuffs were the ones that had it right and knew what was most important all along,' he thought to himself before remarking on the tragic fate that had befallen Frank and Alice.

"It was a terrible thing that happened and it was a serious setback when I found out about that. How is Neville doing? How badly did living with Augusta mess him up?"

Sirius had been aware of the changed nature that Madam Longbottom undertook as a result of losing her son and daughter-in-law to a fate worse than death. He hoped that Neville would not be too messed up as a result of everything. It was fitting that both him and Harry were friends; they sure had equally heartbreaking events take their parents away from them.

"I have noticed a tremendous change in him since he has been at Hogwarts. His friendship with Harry has really opened him up and he even enjoys potions now, from what Harry tells me. I think Augusta is going to be in for quite a shock when she greets an entirely new person at King's Cross in a few weeks."

It warmed Sirius' heart to know that Harry was having such a positive effect on someone and that he had a friend who understood what he was going through.

They each took a few moments to finish their private thoughts before getting ready to leave.

Remus was the fist to stand.

"Well, I think I must be going. I'll set up the floo to my office and you can come through at eleven and we can watch the game – just make yourself unrecognizable and resist the urge to come through as a dog, Ok?"

Sirius snorted and walked him to the door.

"Then perhaps we can get a meal at the Three Broomsticks before you head back. I myself will then have to commit myself to my room and get through all of the grading and lesson plans for the week. Christmas cannot come soon enough."

Sirius agreed wholeheartedly that. The Holiday Season could not come soon enough for him and he wrapped himself in another hug before letting Remus out and then closing the door behind him.

In what felt like a blink of an eye, he soon found himself walking out of the floo into Remus' office and disguised in a very boring character that reminded him of the friends that his father had used to work with all the time.

They slowly made their way towards the quidditch pitch because Sirius was having slight difficulties with processing being back among the place that he and his friends had thoroughly explored. It was bittersweet and he had a hard time expressing himself towards Remus.

They were soon joined by the long march of students talking excitingly about the first match of the season. Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw may not have been as exciting as Gryffindor against Slytherin, but it was still quidditch and there was still pocket money to be made with a well-placed bet.

Far more people had been in the great hall that morning than usual for a Saturday breakfast because of the game. This was always the case because of 'quidditch fever' but it was especially palpable in the air today because it was the first match and each house could still dream about winning the quidditch cup.

They sat down in the back of the teacher's stand and were soon joined by Minerva, who had quickly deduced who the unfamiliar man with Remus was. Most of the other teachers had come to the same conclusion and briefly said hello, but were aware enough of the situation not to draw unwanted attention towards the pair and give them space.

Severus had sat with the headmaster towards the front and both had inclined their heads in Sirius' direction; however, only Dumbledore added a smile to go along with the nod. The relationship between Severus and Sirius was still too strained to do anything other than briefly acknowledge one another.

Soon the crowds filled the stands and a hush settled over the stadium as Madam Hooch prepared to start the game. Both teams took to the air as the crowds roared for their chosen teams.

Ravenclaw quickly established dominance and had an ever-widening lead due to their chaser's ability to skillfully handle the quaffle. Of course, they also had superior brooms – but that tended to give more of an edge to the seeker. Chasers could get by with an older model broom if the team worked well together and could execute complicated plays seamlessly.

The match continued on for some time before it really started to get interesting.

Cedric swerved at the last minute to avoid the incoming bludger that was aimed at his head; it was a daring move and there were a few gasps from the crowd as he rotated nearly one hundred and eighty degrees to nearly fly completely upside down. With the momentary threat passed, Cedric turned upright again and set off in search of the snitch.

Hufflepuff was currently one hundred points down to Ravenclaw an hour into the match and they would need the one hundred and fifty points for catching the snitch soon if they had any hope of winning. Since the start of the game, it had been clear that Cedric was their only hope; the chasers of Ravenclaw were just too good and Hufflepuff's beaters just couldn't unseat them – no matter how hard they tried.

Cedric's nerves about his first match had abated as soon as Madam Hooch's whistle had sounded; he just didn't have the time to worry as he was focused solely on trying to spot the little golden ball that seemed to flicker in and out of existence as it zoomed quickly about in an unpredictably direction. He was barely registering any of the screams and cheers from the crowd and the cold, late November air had yet to breach his own sophisticated warming charm that he had applied before the match.

After another successful dodge of a bludger, Cedric spotted something shiny darting behind the Ravenclaw goalpost. He concentrated even harder on willing his body and broom after that golden ball. The other seeker's strategy had changed after the game had progressed to following Cedric because it was clear that he was the better competitor. As long as Cho, a third year Ravenclaw also in her first game, delayed Cedric getting the snitch until they were one hundred and sixty points up, the game was theirs.

But Cedric had the faster broom and a fiercer determination to win - and she wasn't able to prevent him from closing his fingers around his target and giving the match to Hufflepuff.

Cedric was thrilled and beyond relieved; he had done it! He flew to the ground amid the cheers from the Hufflepuff supporters with the golden snitch raised in his right hand, triumphantly proclaiming victory against Ravenclaw. It had been a thrilling match and Hufflepuff had fought valiantly, though they had needed him to catch the snitch to win. And Cedric came through and did just that.

Cedric joined his fellow team members on the quidditch pitch and they all joyously congratulated each other, with Cedric receiving most of the praise for his daring catch that had sealed the match for them. In no time at all, they were bombarded from the rest of the puffs who had moved to join them in celebration on the field. Harry and his friends were among the gleeful supporters and Harry had hugged Cedric enthusiastically, commenting on how brilliant his moves had been and the artful way in which he won the game. Neville was thrilled to be next to the star of their team and congratulated him as well.

The cold and bitter air was overcome by the heat that was generated from the large body of students that had congregated around their victorious team. There would be a very large celebration in Hufflepuff tonight and Professor Sprout looked absolutely delighted as she shook Professor Flitwick's hand in the teacher's box. Her plump cheeks were flushed both from the cold and the excitement of the game. Flitwick took the loss in stride and graciously accepted defeat with all of his seventy-five pounds.

The Gryffindor and Slytherin quidditch players that were in the stands took note of certain players on the field and were definitely intrigued with how the third year Hufflepuff had performed in his first outing as seeker. The rest of the Hufflepuff players were decent but both teams were confident in the ability to outplay them; their only concern was how Cedric had played. Unless the game was played for an amount of time that allowed the dominant beaters and chasers to assure victory, the winner was usually determined by whoever caught the snitch. A great seeker could save their team from defeat if they caught that one hundred and fifty point boon, and Gryffindor and Slytherin couldn't allow themselves to be complacent and rest on the laurels of their other superior players. Their game plans would have to be adjusted accordingly and neutralize the threat so that they could win.

Cedric was hardly aware of who was near him as a wave of yellow and black supports trudged back to the castle. He was in a state of euphoria and was glad his first match was over because the nerves that had threatened to overtake him the previous week were now gone. He barely registered that they had made it to their common room and, in no time, it was transformed into a celebration of Hufflepuff's achievement that had lasted until dinner.

Remus was present along with the rest of the staff and he looked out into the student body gathered for dinner in the great hall. The Ravenclaw Table was crestfallen, but not as much as the other houses would have been if they had been dealt a disappointing defeat. Ravenclaws could always find some way to bring up their spirits with a good book or an interesting debate. In this case, they were over-indulging in their studies as if to make a statement to the school that said, 'so we may have lost at quidditch but we are the better students.'

Remus was immensely proud to watch both Harry and Neville seek out Hermione and exchange a few words that ended with a friendly hug for each of them. No doubt they were telling their friend that quidditch or some such notion of house rivalry would ever get in the way of their friendship. It meant a great deal more to Hermione that she let on and she was very feeling lucky to have such great friends as she made her way back to her seat. Remus was inwardly amused that quidditch fever had even manage to get into Hermione and cause her to become quite hoarse from cheering at the top of her lungs all day.

This display of friendship had taken Remus back to his late lunch with Sirius in the Three Broomsticks and he got quickly lost in his memories.

"Well, that was certainly something," Sirius barked out after they sat down to a table with their butterbeers in hand.

"Cedric can really fly on a broom – I mean he doesn't have James' grace in the air but he gets the job done and he has plenty of time to develop that before he leaves. He may even be able to go professional if he wants to."

Remus quickly agreed with him as he took a comforting sip of the sweet drink.

"And I see what you mean about those two, Remus. I noticed the hug that Harry gave him afterwards – I don't think either realized how Cedric's arm lingered around Harry's shoulder. I really see what you mean about the brotherly thing but doesn't quite capture it all…"

Sirius brought his hands to his mouth and rested his chin on his thumbs. Seeing how the boys interacted had reminded him of his own brother.

"Reminds me of how I used to be with Regulus, when were little and before we came to Hogwarts. When I wasn't with James, we went everywhere together… I wondered what happened to bring those two so close together in such a short amount of time."

Sirius had quickly moved on from thinking about Regulus; he had very mixed emotions about his brother and hadn't been able to let go of the guilt for not being there for him more.

Remus could only nod and reached across the table to place his hand on Sirius' shoulder in a show of support.

He continued on after what he thought was enough time to show his respect towards the sensitive subject.

"I don't know how they got so close," Remus remarked as he bit into his turkey club.

"The only thing I can think of is that Cedric was the one that brought him to me that first night when we found out about Pettigrew. I asked him to stay with Harry as I dealt with everything – maybe they really bonded over that. I can't imagine what was going through Harry's mind at the time and when I got back they were sleeping on the couch. It was actually quite sweet. Harry was more or less using Cedric as a pillow. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing."

Sirius suddenly started laughing, which caused him to choke on some of the butterbeer he had just taken a sip of. Remus was bemused at his friend's sudden outburst.

"Look at us, Moony. Who would have thought that the two of us would ever be here worried about raising a son together? If I didn't know any better or it wasn't so horrific considering what happened, I would have thought this would have been the best prank James could have played on us."

The laughter soon turned to deep breaths as Sirius steadied himself. Tears were beginning to form in his tired eyes and he looked to his friend for comfort.

"We have to be there for him, Remus. And I need you here for me. I need to be strong again, and I'm getting there. I just want to make James and Lily proud and do right by Harry. I'm scared I won't be good enough – that we won't be good enough."

Remus reached out for Sirius' hands.

"I know what you feel, Padfoot. I wish James and Lily could be there for him as well. And they are, they live on in him. He is a remarkable young man and we will get through this. We will be there for him, in whatever way we can. I promise you that. And I promise to be there for you as well. We'll make a good home for us all."

Sirius nodded appreciatively and regained his composure after a few minutes. He was getting better at managing these bouts of depression, but he knew he had a lot of work still left to do. Sirius was looking forward to the time before Harry would be coming home for The Holidays because it would give him a little more time to get stronger for Harry and more of himself in order.

Harry was his reason for not giving in to how hard rejoining society was, and he would do everything in his power to take care of James' son. Him and Remus were an odd pair to raise a child, but they would provide a loving and supportive home for Harry. And in the end that was all that really mattered when raising a child.

Remus had to wipe a small tear from his eye at the dinner table in the great hall as he finished reminiscing about the fight and determination in his friend. 'Or co-parent,' he thought as he shook his head.

Sirius had made tremendous progress and was more focused than he had ever seen him. Perhaps the responsibility of being a parent was the kick that Sirius had needed to shed some of his more immature and childish tendencies. It had happened to James when Lily had gotten pregnant.

Meanwhile, the Hufflepuffs were finished with dinner and were anxious to restart their celebrations now that Dumbledore had dismissed everyone. Some of the older years made a small detour to the kitchens to pilfer some more beverages and pudding before returning to their common room for a party that went on into the night. Hufflepuffs had little to be outwardly proud of when competing against the other houses and they were going to savor this moment. Everyone's spirits were elevated and all of the spent energy meant that all Hufflepuff's slept soundly that night.

Harry had enjoyed watching Cedric streak across the sky in pursuit of the snitch and cheering for Hufflepuff. Neville and him, along with the rest of their year mates, had been hopeful for a Hufflepuff victory all week. Neville and Harry had even painted their faces half black and half yellow in support of their house and it had stayed on throughout the day and only came off before they went to bed. Harry was having the time of his life and today had been one of the best days that he could remember.

Harry was reveling in the easy camaraderie that Neville and him had established, and they had made it a point to seek out Hermione at dinner and let her know that her friendship wasn't forgotten. They didn't want a silly thing such as house rivalry get in the way of what was becoming a very strong bond. She did remind them not to forget their study date, which had been pushed to Sunday on account of the match, and was met with several pairs of rolling eyes.

The only downside to having the quidditch match was that Harry and Cedric wouldn't be able to explore the castle together the next day as both had to catch up on homework that had been put aside.

**Let me know what you think! I think Remus and Sirius being co-parents is hysterical and so very touching. Have a great week!**


End file.
